A Hawaiian Calabash and Lid turned from Kou Wood
A Hawaiian Calabash and Lid turned from Kou Wood . An old paper label to the underside of the lid . Fine glossy patina
Circa 1870’s – 1880’s
Size : 8 cm high , 11 cm wide – 3¼ ins high , 4¼ ins wide
The first European wood turning lathes were introduced to Hawaii in the 1830’s bringing to an end the tradition of hand carving Poi bowls on the Island . With the arrival of the commercial lathe a new sophisticated synthesis of western and Hawaiian forms emerged . Western craftsmen refined and popularised the traditional Hawaiian bowl and those made with covers were primarily made for display or presentation pieces .
One cabinetmaker Wilhelm Fischer was commissioned by King Kamehameha IV to turn a pedestal bowl and cover for presentation in 1858 to an English naval Captain CM Montressor . Whilst visiting the Island he met the King and his wife Queen Emma and invited the King aboard his ship to sail around the Island , the King accepted and a warm friendship developed . Montressor wrote of the bowl presented to him in his memoirs ‘on parting he presented me with a vase wrought … in native wood , most beautifully polished and rounded ; the wood is of a rich brown and takes the polish well . It will be a pleasant memento to me of he whom I have learnt to regard as a friend .’
Circa 1870’s – 1880’s
Size : 8 cm high , 11 cm wide – 3¼ ins high , 4¼ ins wide
The first European wood turning lathes were introduced to Hawaii in the 1830’s bringing to an end the tradition of hand carving Poi bowls on the Island . With the arrival of the commercial lathe a new sophisticated synthesis of western and Hawaiian forms emerged . Western craftsmen refined and popularised the traditional Hawaiian bowl and those made with covers were primarily made for display or presentation pieces .
One cabinetmaker Wilhelm Fischer was commissioned by King Kamehameha IV to turn a pedestal bowl and cover for presentation in 1858 to an English naval Captain CM Montressor . Whilst visiting the Island he met the King and his wife Queen Emma and invited the King aboard his ship to sail around the Island , the King accepted and a warm friendship developed . Montressor wrote of the bowl presented to him in his memoirs ‘on parting he presented me with a vase wrought … in native wood , most beautifully polished and rounded ; the wood is of a rich brown and takes the polish well . It will be a pleasant memento to me of he whom I have learnt to regard as a friend .’
See : Finch and Co 2002 catalogue ; no. 15 to note Captain Cook's comment on Hawaiian bowls
A Hawaiian Calabash and Lid turned from Kou Wood
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