North Pacific, Hawaiian Islands, Pre-Contact Period, ca. 16th to mid-17th century CE. A rare and fascinating lamp used for burning oil extracted from the kukui nut, which translates to "candle nut," skillfully hand-carved from porous volcanic stone. The intriguing implement presents a thick, circular rim above a shallow basin and a thick base, all sitting upon a ring-form, pedestal foot. A triangular handle projects from one side of the rim, allowing it to be easily grasped. Light was produced from this lamp by filling the interior with kukui nut oil, igniting one end of a tapa-bark wick, and placing the unlit end inside the oil; the amount of light generated depended on the number of wicks used. Size: 6.3" in diameter x 3" H (16 cm x 7.6 cm)
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, acquired from 1995 to 2010
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance),
we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
#167396
Condition
Collection number painted on bottom. Expected nicks and abrasions, commensurate with age and use. Otherwise, intact and excellent with light earthen deposits in some recessed areas.