Truk (Chuuk) Island, Federated States of Micronesia
Early 19th century
Coral
Height: 6 inches (15.2 cm); Diameter: 4¼ inches (10.8 cm)
Provenance: Randolph Crossley, Carmel, California
Food pounders known as phou were among the most valued personal possessions of women on Truk Island, passed from mother to daughter across generations as heirloom objects carrying family identity and social standing. Carved from a single piece of coral, this example takes the characteristic waisted form with a broad flat striking surface above a flared base, the profile both functional and resolved in its proportions. The coral has developed a dense, smooth surface through age and repeated use, its texture now uniform and pale across the full body.
The use of coral rather than basalt or wood reflects the material environment of a low coral atoll where stone of volcanic origin was unavailable, and the carver has worked the material to a form of considerable technical refinement. Phou of this quality and age from Truk are seldom encountered outside institutional collections, and the Crossley provenance connects this piece to a collection assembled with sustained attention to Micronesian material.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Truk (Chuuk) Island, Federated States of Micronesia
Early 19th century
Coral
Height: 6 inches (15.2 cm); Diameter: 4¼ inches (10.8 cm)
Provenance: Randolph Crossley, Carmel, California
Food pounders known as phou were among the most valued personal possessions of women on Truk Island, passed from mother to daughter across generations as heirloom objects carrying family identity and social standing. Carved from a single piece of coral, this example takes the characteristic waisted form with a broad flat striking surface above a flared base, the profile both functional and resolved in its proportions. The coral has developed a dense, smooth surface through age and repeated use, its texture now uniform and pale across the full body.
The use of coral rather than basalt or wood reflects the material environment of a low coral atoll where stone of volcanic origin was unavailable, and the carver has worked the material to a form of considerable technical refinement. Phou of this quality and age from Truk are seldom encountered outside institutional collections, and the Crossley provenance connects this piece to a collection assembled with sustained attention to Micronesian material.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
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