Indonesian Lava Stone Lingam

No face, no limbs, no ornament. Nothing here needs them.

This lava stone lingam comes from East Java, Indonesia. The lingam is the principal aniconic emblem of the Hindu god Shiva, and in the centuries when Hindu kingdoms flourished on Java, temples often housed one at their heart. The form here is severe. A tall, faceted shaft with softened corners rises from a wider, squared lower section, which narrows slightly toward the bottom. The stone is dark gray and coarse-grained, scattered with pale specks, with a browner tone near the foot. Forty-five inches high and 12 inches across.

It asks very little of a room except respect.