Nepalese Brass Oil Lamp

Openwork scales at the foot, lotus petals at the top, and a long neck between.

This oil lamp is contemporary, from the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, in brass. Lamps like this are widely used in Himalayan temples and household shrines, where a lit wick is commonly understood as an offering that dispels darkness. A broad, flared bowl rests on a ring of petals, over a slim stem with a bulbous knop and four slender hanging brackets. The domed foot is pierced all around in a lattice of overlapping scales and set on stepped, beaded rings. The brass is a deep chocolate brown, brighter where hands have reached. It is 9 inches wide, 9 deep and 14 high.

Its sibling is just as dressed up.