Asian Lamps & Lanterns

Varanasi at dusk, and the ghats fill with small flames. Every household has been lighting lamps for a very long time.

Asian lamps and lanterns take in India, Nepal, China, Turkey, Morocco, Vietnam, Italy and the United States. Indian brass oil lamps, the diya and deepa of Hindu worship, come in bell, goblet and tiered forms, some with Lakshmi, goddess of fortune. Newari brass candle bases from the Kathmandu Valley open in lotus petals. Turkish and Moroccan hanging lamps in pierced brass and colored glass, now electrified, throw patterned light, and garden lanterns stand outdoors in stone and metal. French colonial lamps from Vietnam, Italian glass and polished nickel sconces, and votive holders in brass, crystal and silk add smaller lights.

Brass dulls to warm brown. Glass softens with age.

Put out the overhead. Nobody ever argued with a candle.