Indian Tikka Container on Lotus Base

A lotus for a foot, and two shallow cups for color.

Indian metalworkers made this tikka container in bronze in the 19th century. Tikka is the colored paste, often red or yellow, applied to the forehead in Hindu rites, and small containers like this one are commonly associated with shrine use. Two shallow dishes sit on a slender stem rising from a domed, lotus-petal base with a stepped foot. A small finial and two curved supports finish the top. The brass-gold surface is mellow and softly worn.

About 4 inches tall. Made for pigment, and equally good with paperclips.