'Kunda' Pillar Candle Holder Set of 2 in Wood - Ivory

Provenance

Printed wood pillar candle holders in ivory - the pale, luminous counterpart in the collection. The kunda is the white jasmine (Jasminum multiflorum), and its colour became, in classical Sanskrit literature, the standard for the most pristine white. In the Ramayana and Mahabharata, comparisons to kunda-white are used to describe teeth, moonlight, swan feathers, the foam of a river in flood. It is a specific white - not the cold white of the mineral but the white of something living, the colour that has warmth in it.

The ivory of these holders holds exactly that quality. Against this pale ground, the printed ornament settles quietly. The candlelight changes the surface: the warmth of the flame appears against the kunda-white field, making the light itself the primary element. The print becomes secondary; the flame is held in relief. Best where darker surroundings give the ivory its fullest contrast.

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.