Oil Dish
| 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 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
A shallow wooden bowl supported by short legs with several wooden bars extending horizontally from the side of the vessel, which connect to a perpendicular cross bar, that is supported by a leg. Two of these extended bars and the cross bar are incised with triangular patterns.
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 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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Cite this page
"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