Peacock Lamp With Tortoise Shell Base

The lamp is an integral part of the traditional Indian home. The burning flame is allegorical - it stands for the simultaneous existence of the triguna or the three (‘tri’) constituent attributes (‘guna’) of existence, namely sattva (staility), rajas (motion), and tamas (inertia). For ages, it has been custom to light lamps across one’s home and hearth moments before dusk sets in; in many homes in this part of the world today, there prevails the norm of lighting a symbolic lamp in atleast one singular corner, especially on auspicious days of the month.

The lamp that you see on this page would make a superb addition to any traditional Indian home or office. It is a long-stemmed, larger-than-life number featuring five trays. With the multiple wick channels carved into the trays, each of them is designed to function as a composite lamp. The parts of the stem between each pair of trays are sculpted in perfect symmetry to each other and have, somewhat, the silhouette of a stoopa. At the very top is perched a peacock with raised plumage, traditional Indian motifs engraved into its breast and feathers and feet.

Of pure brass make, the most distinguishing aspect of this lamp is the base upon which it stands. The stem beneath the lowermost tray blends into the shell of a tortoise, which is carved with a great deal of precision. A tail and four tiny legs crawl strategically out of the shell, in addition to an upward-turned head. A simplistic, engraved pedestal of the exact size as the body of the tortoise supports the composition.