Indian Oil Lamp with Lakshmi Motif

Meet a dark, tidy little chair-lamp has a high fringed back and a figure seated beneath it.

This brass oil lamp with Lakshmi motif is from Karnataka, South India, and dates to the 20th century. Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess associated with prosperity and good fortune, and she is often shown seated on a lotus or flanked by elephants. The base is a wide, ringed drum with a beaded edge and a pointed spout. Above it rises a curved panel edged with short rays, with a small seated figure in the center and a band of crosshatching below.

All dressed up, with a good tall back to prove it.