As a widely available material, wood has been used across the world to create domestic objects for millennia. The extensive variety of trees in different geographic locations, as well as the creativity of woodworkers from diverse cultures, has resulted in an incredible range of practical and decorative woodenware.
Historically, wooden bowls have played an important role as objects for everyday use and ceremonial rituals. In the Solomon Islands, women use chisels, hammers, and sandpaper to create shallow bowls lined with inlaid shells and polished with beeswax. Once completed, the bowls are used daily within the home, as well as during special social occasions involving the local community. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Kuba people also create wooden bowls used for a variety... Read more
As a widely available material, wood has been used across the world to create domestic objects for millennia. The extensive variety of trees in different geographic locations, as well as the creativity of woodworkers from diverse cultures, has resulted in an incredible range of practical and decorative woodenware.
Historically, wooden bowls have played an important role as objects for everyday use and ceremonial rituals. In the Solomon Islands, women use chisels, hammers, and sandpaper to create shallow bowls lined with inlaid shells and polished with beeswax. Once completed, the bowls are used daily within the home, as well as during special social occasions involving the local community. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Kuba people also create wooden bowls used for a variety of purposes, although their objects feature carved geometric designs and figural motifs often referencing ancestors and important mythological spirits.
People across the world continue to appreciate wooden bowls for their elegant forms and natural grain patterns. An assortment of bowls made of oak, cherry wood, cedar, pine, and many other types of wood is available at auction today.
Quick Facts
- On April 2, 2015, Christie’s New York sold a group of seven American wooden wares, including four bowls from the 19th century, for $2,750
- On May 14, 2010, Sotheby’s New York sold a large Woodlands wood bowl, probably Iroquois, from the early 19th century for $15,000
- Woodturning, a technique used by the ancient Egyptians and continued to this day, is frequently used to make wood bowls. The process involves a lathe, which spins a piece of wood while a woodworker carves the object into the finished product
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May 22, 2018, 10:00 AM BST
Market Harborough,
United Kingdom
£120 (starting bid)
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May 22, 2018, 10:00 AM BST
Market Harborough,
United Kingdom
£120 (starting bid)
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May 22, 2018, 10:30 AM EST
Boston,
MA,
USA
$300 (starting bid)
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May 23, 2018, 10:00 AM EST
New York,
NY,
USA
$750 (starting bid)
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May 23, 2018, 10:00 AM MST
Worland,
WY,
USA
$22 (starting bid)
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May 24, 2018, 12:00 AM BST
Stowmarket,
United Kingdom
£5 (starting bid)
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May 24, 2018, 9:30 AM EST
New York,
NY,
USA
$3,200 (starting bid)
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May 24, 2018, 9:30 AM EST
New York,
NY,
USA
$6,000 (starting bid)
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May 24, 2018, 12:00 PM EST
Rockaway,
NJ,
USA
$100 (starting bid)
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May 24, 2018, 7:30 PM CET
Madrid,
Spain
€20 (starting bid)
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May 24, 2018, 5:00 PM EST
Orlando,
FL,
USA
$5 (starting bid)
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May 26, 2018, 2:00 PM CET
Cap d’Antibes,
France
€20 (starting bid)
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May 26, 2018, 12:00 PM EST
Palm Beach Gardens,
FL,
USA
$10 (starting bid)
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May 26, 2018, 12:00 PM EST
Palm Beach Gardens,
FL,
USA
$10 (starting bid)
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May 26, 2018, 12:00 PM EST
Palm Beach Gardens,
FL,
USA
$10 (starting bid)
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May 26, 2018, 12:00 PM EST
Palm Beach Gardens,
FL,
USA
$10 (starting bid)
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May 26, 2018, 12:00 PM EST
Palm Beach Gardens,
FL,
USA
$10 (starting bid)
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May 26, 2018, 12:00 PM EST
Palm Beach Gardens,
FL,
USA
$10 (starting bid)
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May 26, 2018, 10:00 AM MST
Glendale,
AZ,
USA
$10 (starting bid)
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May 27, 2018, 11:00 AM EST
Chester,
NY,
USA
$40 (starting bid)
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May 28, 2018, 10:00 AM CST
Rosebud,
TX,
USA
$20 (starting bid)
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May 30, 2018, 10:00 AM GMT
Selborne,
United Kingdom
£260 (starting bid)
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May 30, 2018, 4:00 PM EST
Sunrise,
FL,
USA
$50 (starting bid)
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May 31, 2018, 11:00 AM PST
Los Angeles,
CA,
USA
$175 (starting bid)
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June 1, 2018, 9:00 AM EST
Delaware,
OH,
USA
$75 (starting bid)
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June 1, 2018, 5:30 PM EST
Alpena,
MI,
USA
$18 (starting bid)
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June 2, 2018, 12:00 PM EST
West Palm Beach,
FL,
USA
$400 (starting bid)
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June 2, 2018, 12:00 PM EST
West Palm Beach,
FL,
USA
$400 (starting bid)
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June 2, 2018, 10:00 AM MST
Bozeman,
MT,
USA
$30 (starting bid)
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June 2, 2018, 12:00 PM EST
West Palm Beach,
FL,
USA
$2,000 (starting bid)
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June 3, 2018, 11:00 AM EST
Ferndale,
MI,
USA
$20 (starting bid)
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June 3, 2018, 11:00 AM EST
Ferndale,
MI,
USA
$20 (starting bid)
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June 3, 2018, 11:00 AM EST
Ferndale,
MI,
USA
$20 (starting bid)
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June 4, 2018, 1:00 PM EST
Philadelphia,
PA,
USA
$1,000 (1 bid)
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June 4, 2018, 1:00 PM EST
Philadelphia,
PA,
USA
$1,000 (1 bid)
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June 6, 2018, 10:00 AM EST
New York,
NY,
USA
$2,500 (starting bid)
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June 6, 2018, 10:00 AM EST
New York,
NY,
USA
$2,000 (starting bid)
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June 6, 2018, 10:00 AM EST
New York,
NY,
USA
$1,000 (starting bid)
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June 6, 2018, 10:00 AM EST
New York,
NY,
USA
$750 (starting bid)
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June 6, 2018, 10:00 AM EST
New York,
NY,
USA
$1,000 (starting bid)
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June 7, 2018, 12:00 PM CST
Chicago,
IL,
USA
$2,400 (starting bid)
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June 7, 2018, 12:00 PM CST
Chicago,
IL,
USA
$5,500 (starting bid)
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June 7, 2018, 12:00 PM CST
Chicago,
IL,
USA
$3,250 (starting bid)
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