Indian Wood Tikka Box

Tall, dark, and mushroom-shaped, with a lid that overhangs like a brim.

This painted wooden tikka box from Maharashtra is from Maharashtra, India, and dates to the late 19th or early 20th century. It is painted wood. Kumkum, a red powder, is commonly used for tikka and is often kept in small containers placed near a household shrine. Cylindrical container with a bulbous domed cap topped by a small round knob. The body tapers slightly toward the base, and the surface is deep brown with crackled texture and traces of red. It is 4 inches high and 2.25 in diameter.

A good hat on a quiet body.