Indian 4 Piece Altar

A little temple frame with room for a deity and a great deal of ornament

This 4 piece altar is from Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, and is contemporary. It is makrana marble. Marble was regarded as the most important material by Indian masons, whose guilds date to the 7th century BCE, and as the royal stone it was used for temples, tombs and palaces. An arched shrine frame rises over an open rectangular window, ringed by tiers of miniature towers and carved foliage. A base band shows elephants and small figures in niches. The pale surface is dense with relief and slightly dusty in the recesses. It is 48 inches wide, 15 deep and 78 high.

Every inch carved, and the carver evidently saw no reason to stop.