Iron Cruzie Lamp Spoon - 19th Century

This hand-forged iron hanging oil lamp was traditionally made by itinerant blacksmiths of the Lohariya community in India. Combining practical craftsmanship with decorative detail, these distinctive lamps reflect the ingenuity of traditional Indian metalworkers, who transformed everyday functional objects into pieces of folk art.

The lamp features a deep, rounded oil reservoir suspended beneath a long, slender stem, which terminates in an elegantly curved hook for hanging. The shaft is decorated with incised geometric patterns.

Originally designed to hold oil and a cotton wick, lamps of this type provided illumination in homes and religious settings. This example may also have been used during aarti, the Hindu ritual of offering light to a deity, in which a flame is presented as an expression of devotion and reverence.