North Pacific, Hawaiian Islands, Big Island, Pre-Contact Period, ca. 16th to mid-17th century CE. A beautiful kukui nut lamp that is hand-carved from a fragment of porous volcanic stone. The triangular lamp features a relatively flat and stable base, swollen walls that curve upwards, and a deep oil well in the center. The central well was used for holding oil extracted from the kukui nut - which literally translates to "candlenut" - with a tapa-bark wick lit on one end to provide light. The amount of light generated by a single lamp depended on the number of wicks used. Size: 6.375" W x 3.125" H (16.2 cm x 7.9 cm)
Provenance: private Newport Beach, California, USA collection
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#161984
Condition
Minor nicks to some areas and light encrustations within some porous areas along the bottom, otherwise intact and very good. Great preservation to overall form.