Indian Stone Butter Pot

A wide-bottomed, dusky green-brown pot with a lip like a rolled collar.

This carved stone butter pot is from Rajasthan, India, and dates to the mid 19th century. Butter and ghee, which is clarified butter, are staple foods in much of India, and they are generally stored in vessels made to keep them cool. A squat, widely flared vessel with a smoothly rolled rim and a darker, glossy interior. The outside is a mottled green-brown with a soft, slightly furry texture. The base is broad and flat. It is 6 inches wide and 4 high.

Sturdy, rounded, and very settled in its ways.