Indonesian Wood Bowl

Sturdy pale drum with a dished top that has seen some things.

This petrified wood bowl is from Java, Indonesia. Java, in Indonesia, is a source of petrified wood, and stone bowls are made from it by cutting and grinding the hard material to shape. At first glance, a tall, roughly cylindrical block in creamy white with thin reddish streaks. The top is scooped into a smooth, shallow bowl. The sides are uneven and flaky, with small chips near the base and a faint linear grain. It is 13 inches wide, 13 deep and 6 high.

Plain, hefty, and perfectly pleased to be a bowl.