Naga Offering / Food Bowl

A shallow dish on a tall stem, stained dark by decades of use.

Naga carvers of Nagaland, Northeast India, made this wooden offering or food bowl in the early 20th century. Footed bowls of this type are commonly associated with feasting, and with offering food or drink to guests or spirits. A wide, shallow dish rises on a straight cylindrical stem, flaring to a round foot with a triangular cutout. The wood is deep chocolate brown, glossy inside and darker at the stem, with a small old crack at the rim.

About 12 inches high. A pedestal for fruit, keys, or whatever you most want admired.