Indonesian Lava Stone Altar

Tiers, scrolls and a pointed crown, stacked up in dark volcanic stone.

This lava stone altar comes from Mount Agung, Bali, Indonesia. It is stone, cut after the 1963 eruption of Mount Agung. Balinese temples and family compounds commonly include stone shrines and pillars where offerings are placed, and Mount Agung is generally regarded as the most sacred mountain on the island. The dark gray altar rises in stacked blocks, each corner finished with curling leaf scrolls. A diamond is set in the central panel, and the top tapers to a domed crown with a small finial. It is 28 inches wide, 36 deep and 92 high.

Built from the mountain, in honor of the mountain.