Indian Wood Temple Frame

Coal-black and crusty, with three little niches above a tall arched opening.

This carved teak temple frame is from Karnataka, South India, and dates to the late 19th or early 20th century. It is carved teak wood. Karnataka in South India has a long history of wood carving, and carvers there have produced doors, pillars, brackets and frames for temples and homes. Upright panel with a rough, blackened coating and a row of three small recessed arches at the top. Below, stepped beaded frames surround a large cusped window cut through, with bare lighter patches along the edges. It is 4.25 inches wide, 1.5 deep and 7.25 high.

Burnt-looking, solid, and quite sure of its doorway.