Circular Carving Marked Bowl Marquetry Bottom

Does anyone have any information on this bowl?

It has a type of rounded circle patterns, they are not circles, more like sixes, double-sixes, and sometimes unclosed circles. It looks like it has scraped marks from mishandling but those also look to be actually in the grain of the material. It seems a combination of both. The book has a type of marquetry on the bottom of geometrical panels.

It is 7 & 1/4 inches wide and about two and a half inches deep.

 

I wonder if it might have been made from a coconut, rather than carved from wood? The scraped marks shown are reminiscent of patterns seen in polished coconut....

 

I searched on polished coconut bowl and it does look like them. However, I think mine is too wide but I have never lived long in a land with wild coconuts so it could be them. On looking at it closer, the marquetry wedges cover the whole bottom surface completely. They're wedged in like a puzzle.

 

Certainly looks like coconut.

Debora

 

Coconut would not explain the apparently embedded "marquetry" pieces. Is it translucent?

 

No, its not. The carving patterns seem to my distant memory of being African.

 

I don't recognize any features as African. From what I can see of the structure in your photo of the bottom, it does not appear to be a natural material, but some sort of cast composite construction. Are the insets that we can see on the bottom also visible on the top/interior surface, between the swirling patterns?

 

No, they're not.

 

Something like these:

 

Could be, I'll have to research it more. I can take more photos. It does look natural but then it could be resin/composite.

 

Looking again at the bottom, the light colored trails that make it look like a coconut shell only occur in the angular shaped inclusions. There is a dark matrix around them. Perhaps it is a composite using coconut shell chips.

 

Maybe take a bunch of coconut pieces, use glue or resin to make a solid block, turn it on a lathe...seems like a lot of work, but sure looks like coconut to me.

 

It's hard material which I feel may be harder than coconut, but I just did a little pull out with fingers of two hands at the edges and heard a little crack, making me think it's organic.

(these are pro moves I'm leaning)(or making up).

 

Looks like coconut shell and cinnamon pieces in resin ... like this one.

 

Wonderful find, @quirkygirl! That certainly settles it.

 

Thank you very much! I guess the tiny sound I heard was from the balance of resin with organic matter.

 

u da best , Girl !!!!
always nice to see you here !!