Indonesian Stone Lantern

Enter a little lantern-shaped tower, grey as a rainy day, with a single dark window.

This lava stone lantern is from Indonesia, and dates to the 20th century. Stone lanterns serve as light holders in gardens, temples and courtyards across Asia, and the form usually has a hollow chamber for a lamp or candle. From the front, a small, stepped structure in dark grey, grainy tone. A square base with a notched opening supports a boxy middle section with a square open window. A broad, flat roof and a small cylindrical cap sit on top. It is 10 inches wide, 10 deep and 16 high.

A tidy pagoda of a lantern, with no windowsills.