Indian Brass Oil Lamp

Shallow pouring dish with a pointed lip and a splash of turquoise inside.

This brass oil lamp from Karnataka is from Karnataka, South India, and dates to the late 19th or early 20th century. Lighting a lamp is generally taken to signify the dispelling of darkness and ignorance, and the practice appears in several South Asian religious traditions. Oval dish with a low pointed spout, a thin rim and a short, flared foot. The outside is smooth and brown, with some engraved lines. Teal and blue-green patches color the interior and foot. It is 2 inches wide, 3 deep and 1 high.

A modest vessel with a turquoise secret inside.