Chinese Candle Base with Lotus Motif

Petals above, petals below, and a flat top ready for its candle.

This candle base with lotus motif is from Putian, Fujian Province, China, a contemporary piece in camphor wood. The lotus is among the most familiar emblems in Chinese art, usually read as purity and renewal, and it has served as a pedestal for sacred figures and offerings for centuries. Here a crown of pointed petals wraps the upper tier. A wider, rounded bloom flares out below, resting on an eight-sided plinth with a carved band of vines and squared corners. The wood carries a deep brown finish. It is 11.5 inches wide and 10 high.

Nothing about it suggests it was ever in a hurry.