Nepalese Candle Base with Lotus Motif

Squat dish with a lotus petal skirt and a patina that clearly lived somewhere smoky.

This brass candle base with a lotus motif from the Kathmandu Valley is from Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, and is contemporary. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc that takes a warm golden polish and holds fine detail well when cast or hammered. Shallow dish with a rolled rim sits on a waisted stem above a wide flared foot. Overlapping lotus petals are chased around the base, and the interior shows engraved petals. The surface is dark, with golden highlights worn onto the raised edges. It is 5 inches wide, 5 deep, 2 high and 0.03 in diameter.

Dignified in the way only well-handled objects manage.