Chinese Candle Base with Lotus Motif

Dark, fat petals and a flat middle: a lotus that keeps things simple.

This candle base with a lotus motif in camphor wood is from Putian, Fujian Province, China, and is contemporary. Camphor wood is aromatic and generally resistant to insects, which is why it has long been used in Chinese chests and carved objects. Round, flower-shaped platform with two rings of thick overlapping petals. The outer ones flare wide at the bottom while the upper row stands upright. Satiny black surface, with a plain disc in the center. It is 5.5 inches wide, 5.5 deep and 3 high.

Tidy petals, tidy mind, and a very flat middle.