'Kamala' Pillar Candle Holder Set of 2 in Wood

Provenance

Printed wood pillar candle holders with metal ring handles, from North Indian decorative woodcraft. The Kamala design draws its surface vocabulary from the lotus — the flower that in Indian sacred art has carried the deity above the water for over two thousand years, present in the earliest Buddhist sculpture, in the hands of Lakshmi and Saraswati, in the medallion compositions of Mughal carpets and Rajput textiles.

The lotus is the form of purity maintained in the world — rooted below in mud, rising cleanly to the surface, opening in full light. These pillar holders translate that vocabulary to a standing, functional object: the flame held at the top occupies the same position as the deity in the lotus throne, elevated and centred, the ornament below holding its context.

Disclaimer

• These holders are handcrafted in wood with a printed surface. Variations in tone and colour are a natural feature of the process.
• Minor differences in print registration or surface texture should be understood as the signature of individual craft, not a defect.