Indonesian Rice Pounding Vessel

Cracked, weathered and pale as driftwood, it still stands perfectly upright.

This rice pounding vessel comes from Java, Indonesia, carved from teak wood. Across Southeast Asia, rice was traditionally husked in deep wooden mortars, pounded with long poles, often as a shared daily task. Hollowed from a single trunk section, it rises in a tall, slightly flaring column from a broader foot. The surface is deeply weathered, with long checks running down its length and a rough, worn rim where the opening has softened over time. The wood has bleached to a pale gray-blonde. It is 11.5 inches wide, 11.5 deep and 26.5 high.

Built for hard work and plainly proud of it.