Hawaiian, likely Kona coast region
18th century
Basalt (volcanic)
Height: 6 1/4 in. (15.9 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi
Fishing occupied a central place in Hawaiian subsistence and cultural life, with specialized tools developed for each stage of the process. Bait mortars were used to grind and prepare fish bait, and surviving examples in stone are seldom encountered in collections or the published literature. This example, dated to the eighteenth century, originates from a private collection on the Kona coast, a region historically associated with deep-sea fishing traditions.
The form is elongated and tapering, ground from dense volcanic basalt with a hollowed working end suited to pounding and grinding. Basalt was the dominant material for Hawaiian stone tools, valued for its hardness, grain density, and broad availability across the island chain. The surface retains the texture of worked volcanic stone with no evidence of later alteration.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Hawaiian, likely Kona coast region
18th century
Basalt (volcanic)
Height: 6 1/4 in. (15.9 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi
Fishing occupied a central place in Hawaiian subsistence and cultural life, with specialized tools developed for each stage of the process. Bait mortars were used to grind and prepare fish bait, and surviving examples in stone are seldom encountered in collections or the published literature. This example, dated to the eighteenth century, originates from a private collection on the Kona coast, a region historically associated with deep-sea fishing traditions.
The form is elongated and tapering, ground from dense volcanic basalt with a hollowed working end suited to pounding and grinding. Basalt was the dominant material for Hawaiian stone tools, valued for its hardness, grain density, and broad availability across the island chain. The surface retains the texture of worked volcanic stone with no evidence of later alteration.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
