Description (Physical description)
Catalogue card 2 for E 1905.55: 'Food bowl of wood stained black in the shape of a man standing with a circular bowl on his head. The bowl itself is inlaid with bits of mother of pearl.'
Event Date
Author: Lucie Carreau

Description (Physical description)
Catalogue card 1 for E 1905.55: 'Food vessel made of black wood carved in the shape of a man standing, with pendant arms heaving a couple of armlets, on a round base. The crown of the head has been cut off square and the whole hollowed out into a deep rounded basin. The face, wrists and ear studs near incised decoration (chevrons etc), a central cross-like design (?frigate birds) being placed on the forehead. The eyes and a decorative band round the back of the head are set with pearl shell and the sides of the forehead are inlaid with a pair of semicircular pieces of trochus shell.'
Event Date
Author: maa

Description (Labels & Markings)
A small paper label on catalogue card 2 reads: 'E.1905.55 A black wooden bowl, carved in the shape of a man standing. Solomon Islands. (Sir R. Herbert Sale, 1905) * Professor Bevan, 1905'.
Event Date 1905
Author: Remke van der Velden

Context (Acquisition Details)
There is a letter in MAA's archive explaining the context in which this object was purchased. The letter is written by Sammy Cowles and sent to Anatole von Hügel on 2 August 1905: 'I have no doubt that you are anxious to hear from me concerning the sale at Icklington that Mr Foster asked me to go to. I could not write + inform you as I did not know till the eve of the sale. I secured 3 specimens: 2 food bowls & a fine carved figure with a bowl in the head. Solomon Islands. It has pearl eyes & bone + pearl setting round the head & the face is carved with a fine pattern I have enclosed rough sketches in order that you may form an idea what-it-is like. Mr Foster kindly paid for it & the expense of going to the Sale. Hoping that you will be pleased with it. The cost of them was £3.s6.'
Event Date 2/8/1905
Author: Lucie Carreau

Context (Display)
Exhibited in 'The Proper Study of Mankind: Great Anthropological Collections in Cambridge' (known at MAA as the 'Centenary Exhibition') at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, 12 March - 06 May 1984.
Event Date 12/03/1984
Author: Lucie Carreau

Context (Display)
Exhibited: on display in the Solomon Islands case (14), Maudslay Hall, from 1990 onwards.
Event Date 1990
Author: maa

Context (References)
Illustrated in Lucie Carreau. 2016. Collections from the Solomon Islands. Cambridge: Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.13275, p.64.
Event Date 2016
Author: Lucie Carreau