Indian Wood Bottle Stopper

A squat tower with a top hat and a long peg for a foot.

This carved wood bottle stopper is from Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, and dates to the 19th century. Jaipur has long been known as a center of Rajasthani craft, where woodworkers, stone carvers, metalsmiths and painters have worked for royal and merchant patrons. The body is broad and slightly tapered, with a sharply cut four-sided shoulder and a small stacked finial on top. Rows of narrow slots are cut along the base. The surface is dark, dry and scratched, above a plain round tang. It is 1.5 inches wide, 1.5 deep and 8.5 high.

Compact, stern and sure of its own dignity.