Chinese Drum-form Pedestal or Base

The plainest of the drums, and the quietest about it.

Shanxi Province, China, is the source of this drum-form pedestal or base, which was made of stone in the mid-20th century. Stone drum forms like this are commonly used as seats or pedestals. This one is lightly worked, with a smooth, gray-cream surface and faint carved circles in a row around the upper shoulder. Below, the carving is worn and shallow, nearly gone in places, and a thin band marks the base.

About ten inches tall and thirteen across. Restraint, in the form of a rock.