North Pacific, Hawaii, ca. ca. 16th to mid-17th century CE. A wonderful basalt lamp of conical form, ingeniously hand-crafted from the body of a discarded poi pounder. The top of the lamp displays a gently recessed basin at its center to allow for burning oil extracted from the kukui nut, which literally translates to candlenut, and rests atop a flat, narrow base. Light was produced from this lamp by filling the interior with kukui nut oil, igniting one end of a tapa-bark wick, and placing the unlit end inside the oil; the amount of light generated depended on the number of wicks used. Size: 3.125" W x 3.25" H (7.9 cm x 8.3 cm); 4.875" H (12.4 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private Newport Beach, California, USA collection

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#161890

Small chips to periphery of rim. Otherwise, intact with light encrustation within the basin and some pores.