Indian Stupa-Form Box on Wheels

Ridged like a pagoda and just as stately on wheels.

Makers in Maharashtra, India, built this stupa-form box on wheels in wood in the mid 19th century. Wooden containers shaped like architecture were commonly used to hold small possessions. Layered bands of incised zigzag and ribbing rise to a round, domed lid with a hanging iron ring. The carriage beneath has four wheels with pale metal hubs, and carved bracket forms at the corners. The wood is a deep, warm brown, with a rubbed patina.

About 11 inches tall. A conversation piece on an undersized pedestal.