Indian Wood Temple Frame

A thick block with a small beaded window set low and a rough, scraped top.

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. Chunky upright panel in reddish brown, its upper end scored with shallow gouges. A square frame of rounded beads surrounds a small arched opening, with horizontal bands carved beneath it. It is 3.5 inches wide, 1.5 deep and 7.75 high.

Short on window, long on stubborn charm.