South Indian Silver Arati Lamp

This fine lamp of pure or near-pure silver has a long handle which also acts as a balancing foot, and a plate of seven small pans. The plate is mounted by a lion that sits up on its hind legs and in its front paws holds two small rings – perhaps to hold small incense sticks.

The seven small pans held oil into which oil-soaked cotton wicks rested.

The handle allowed the lamp to be moved in front of a deity as part of the arati ritual, a component of puja worship. The lamp would be moved in a clockwise direction before the image of the deity.

The lamp is made of high-grade silver.  Silver is regarded as one of the ‘pure’ metals, befitting an item intended for religious worship.

The lamp has a lovely patina. The main foot has some age- and use-related distortion and a small section lost from the rim. Overall, this is a beautiful object with good signs of age.