Chinese Stone Garden Lantern

A stone lantern, built to hold a small flame above the garden.

Craftsmen in Hebei Province, China, made this garden lantern in stone in the 20th century. Stone lanterns are commonly set in gardens and temple grounds, where a light might be lit at dusk. A hexagonal roof with upturned eaves covers a small chamber pierced with round openings. Beneath it a tall, faceted shaft carries lines of incised characters, and the whole stands on a flared base carved with lotus petals. The stone is dark and weathered.

About forty-five inches tall and eighteen wide. Place it by a path, and the path will do the rest.