A tapered, classical Eqyptian stone pillar with a square, or rectangular tapering monument that comes to a point, a pyramid shape, at the top. They were built in pairs to define the temple entrance; when the Greeks saw them they named them ‘obeliskos’ [meaning ‘pointed pillar’ or ‘needle’], from where we get our name. Perhaps the best know public obelisks outside Luxor are the two red granite monoliths in the Place de la Concorde in Paris.
The obelisk is a strong form, that has been often copied and replicated for deliberate, formal furniture such as book cases, display cases, lamp bases and curtain finials.