Nepalese Goblet-Form Oil Lamp

Today, a squat footed cup on a bell base, with a crumpled grey lining inside.

This goblet-form oil lamp is from Nepal, and dates to the 20th century. It is brass. A wick set in a small reservoir of oil or ghee is the basis of most traditional South Asian lamps, and brass is favored for its durability and its warm shine. Viewed whole, a shallow bowl sits on a knobbed stem above a flaring bell-shaped foot. The surface is dark yellow-brown with a worn, softly dented finish. Inside, a crinkled grey layer lines the bowl, and the rim is slightly uneven. It is 1.75 inches wide, 1.75 deep, 2 high and 1.75 in diameter.

Lumpy in all the right places and perfectly stable.