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A carved Spanish coconut from 1778
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<p>[QUOTE="Stephen Masters, post: 4067326, member: 20256"]Quite - You've probably seen already, but from what I have gathered, up to the late 18th century, coconuts were quite rare and expensive in North America and Europe. As such exotic objects, it seems that they would make extra effort in the carving and would often ornament with silver.</p><p><br /></p><p>From around 1800, coconuts were easily available, so their intrinsic value dropped, and as such, any additional ornamentation tended to be pewter.</p><p><br /></p><p>I get the impression there are a few main variants:</p><ol> <li>Items carved traditionally communities where coconuts are native. A lot of animals, using the eyes of the coconut as eyes.</li> <li>Items carved for wealthy colonials, using European styles and techniques. Ornamented to European tastes. I get the impression they were usually carved in those colonies rather than in Europe. Maybe because the flesh of the coconut is softer when it's fresh?</li> <li>Scrimshaw work by sailors on long journeys, using coconuts they found in West Africa, the Caribbean and India. Often evidence of the slave trade - I'm guessing some were picked up by sailors in West Africa, to pass the time on the journey to the Caribbean and back. There are also a number made by American naval sailors, after the abolition of the slave trade. They would patrol off the coast of West Africa for months, hunting down ships trying to take more slaves across the Atlantic.</li> <li>Silly animals and reproductions of "tribal" objects produced for tourists in the modern day.</li> </ol><p>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Stephen Masters, post: 4067326, member: 20256"]Quite - You've probably seen already, but from what I have gathered, up to the late 18th century, coconuts were quite rare and expensive in North America and Europe. As such exotic objects, it seems that they would make extra effort in the carving and would often ornament with silver. From around 1800, coconuts were easily available, so their intrinsic value dropped, and as such, any additional ornamentation tended to be pewter. I get the impression there are a few main variants: [LIST=1] [*]Items carved traditionally communities where coconuts are native. A lot of animals, using the eyes of the coconut as eyes. [*]Items carved for wealthy colonials, using European styles and techniques. Ornamented to European tastes. I get the impression they were usually carved in those colonies rather than in Europe. Maybe because the flesh of the coconut is softer when it's fresh? [*]Scrimshaw work by sailors on long journeys, using coconuts they found in West Africa, the Caribbean and India. Often evidence of the slave trade - I'm guessing some were picked up by sailors in West Africa, to pass the time on the journey to the Caribbean and back. There are also a number made by American naval sailors, after the abolition of the slave trade. They would patrol off the coast of West Africa for months, hunting down ships trying to take more slaves across the Atlantic. [*]Silly animals and reproductions of "tribal" objects produced for tourists in the modern day. [/LIST][/QUOTE]
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