Oil Dish

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Culture Fijian

Title Oil Dish

Date 19th century

Medium Wood

Dimensions Object: 15 1/2 × 10 1/8 × 2 3/4 in. (39.4 × 25.7 × 7 cm)
Overall: 15 1/2 x 10 1/8 x 2 3/4 in. (39.4 x 25.7 x 7 cm)

Credit Line Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 80.113

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About this Work

This dish was carved to resemble half of a piece of a fruit that Fijians call leba, which comes from a small tree or shrub native to the island. The beautifully carved and polished surfaces of this oil dish demonstrate the care and respect given to this personal object. Carved from a sacred wood, this shallow dish was used to hold scented coconut oil with which a priest anointed himself before prayer. Alternatively, it may have served as a palette for mixing his face and body paints.

Provenance
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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Oil Dish | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=80.113