383 - BRONZE OILLAMP INDIA 18TH CENTURY

BRONZE OILLAMP INDIA 18TH CENTURY Dimensions: Height 14 cm Wide 10 cm Depth 12 cm Weight: 496 grams A bronze oil lamp with a broad, shallow reservoir set before an upright backplate of shrine-like form. The backplate is densely ornamented with a seated deity beneath an arched surround, bordered by repeated leaf-like projections and crowned by a pointed finial. Small projections extend from the rim of the basin, and the metal has acquired a dark, softly variegated surface. In Hindu devotional practice, the flame of a lamp forms part of the ritual presentation of light before a sacred image. A decorated backplate gives the vessel an added iconographic presence, transforming the act of illumination into a miniature encounter between offering and deity. Such objects exemplify the close relationship between worship and metalworking in India. The lamp is especially attractive for its compact, layered composition: an open bowl below, an elaborate sacred image above, and fine relief detail uniting the two.