Indian Casting Mold with Lotus Motif

Eight-sided slab with a zigzag border and a tiny dimple in the middle.

This bronze casting mold with lotus motif is from India, and dates to the early 20th century. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, and it has been used for tools, sculpture and casting forms in South Asia for thousands of years. Octagonal block with concentric bands of incised triangles, dots and radiating lines around a small central hollow. Green traces gather in the grooves, and the face is a warm pale gold. It is 0.25 inches high and 1.5 in diameter.

Geometry that did its homework, and showed every step.