Papua New Guinean Feast / Serving Bowl

A shallow, dark oval bowl with a single engraved band along its rim

This feast / serving bowl is from Tami Islands, Papua New Guinea, and dates to the 20th century. It is carved wood & applied pigment. Tami bowls were carved from a single piece of hardwood called kwila using sharp rocks and sometimes animal bones, unlike most bowls in the region, which were made from clay. A long, shallow boat-shaped bowl in deep brown with a glossy interior and a darker outer surface. A narrow band of incised animal-like and geometric lines runs along one side. The rim is smooth and thin. It is 40.7 inches wide, 20.4 deep and 9 high.

Quietly elegant, with just one line of decoration, drawn with confidence.