Chinese Pillar Base - Lotus Shape

A lotus strong enough to hold up a roof.

This lotus-shaped pillar base comes from China and dates to the early 18th century, carved in stone. Timber columns in Chinese buildings stood on stone bases that guarded them from ground damp, and the lotus, a Buddhist emblem of purity, was a favored form. Broad petals swell around the body, each outlined with a shallow incised curve. A stepped, notched collar rises above them, and a faceted plinth spreads below. The surface is a granular gray. It stands 13.5 inches high and 18 inches across.

Even the foundations were expected to have manners.