Cast Brass Indian Female-Form Lamp with Oil Container & Spoon

This fine lamp has a dark patina and ample wear associated with significant age and ritual use.  Of cast brass, either it would have sat on the floor, or was used when walking around to light other lamps. It is typical of a type of lamp used in Kerala, on the western side of India’s southern tip.

It comprises a flared, circular foot; a deep oil reservoir; a handle section that terminates with a stylised pair of woman’s breasts; a shallow Yoni-shaped oil well or burner at the front; and a spoon attached to the lamp by a brass chain. The spoon is to ladle oil from the reservoir to the lamp well at the front. It has a bird-shaped head handle and fine wear from use and age.

On the underside, a struts connects the handle to body of the reservoir.

A  similar lamp is illustrated in Rawson (1971, p. 15). Another is illustrated in Anderson (2006, p. 35).

Overall, this is a simple and beautiful lamp with an exceptional patina. The association with the femininity and the female form are striking and make this lamp especially interesting.