A striking floor standing oil lamp with hamsa bird finial.
These charming oil lamps are made from cast brass and are from the Deccan. They're called samayee and are used as votive oil lamps. They are likely from the South Indian state of Karnataka.
This lamp would have traditionally been used with a wick and scented ghee oil.
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The hamsa is a mythical aquatic bird, often associated with a goose or a swan, which represents perfect union and balance in life. "Its name is derived from the exhalation of the Sanskrit sound 'ham' and the inhalation of 'sa', together constituting the return of the life force to brahman, its cosmic source." Oppi Untracht, Traditional Jewellery of India, London, 2008, p. 266.
These charming oil lamps are made from cast brass and are from the Deccan. They're called samayee and are used as votive oil lamps. They are likely from the South Indian state of Karnataka.
This lamp would have traditionally been used with a wick and scented ghee oil.
//
The hamsa is a mythical aquatic bird, often associated with a goose or a swan, which represents perfect union and balance in life. "Its name is derived from the exhalation of the Sanskrit sound 'ham' and the inhalation of 'sa', together constituting the return of the life force to brahman, its cosmic source." Oppi Untracht, Traditional Jewellery of India, London, 2008, p. 266.