Lidded Bowl (Kotue)
The distinctive form of the lidded Marquesan bowls known as kotue
suggests the body and tail of a bird adorned with a fully modeled human
head. Only about a dozen of these remarkable vessels are known. Versatile
as well as elegant, bird-shaped bowls were first described by European
explorers in the eighteenth century, and a number of different functions are
assigned to them in the historical sources. Fitted with removable lids to
protect their contents, kotue were used to store a variety of items including
popoi, a paste made from pounded breadfruit that is a staple of the
Marquesan diet. They were also used to safeguard ornaments and other
valuables as well as 'eka (turmeric), a precious yellow-orange powder used
to adorn the skin.
suggests the body and tail of a bird adorned with a fully modeled human
head. Only about a dozen of these remarkable vessels are known. Versatile
as well as elegant, bird-shaped bowls were first described by European
explorers in the eighteenth century, and a number of different functions are
assigned to them in the historical sources. Fitted with removable lids to
protect their contents, kotue were used to store a variety of items including
popoi, a paste made from pounded breadfruit that is a staple of the
Marquesan diet. They were also used to safeguard ornaments and other
valuables as well as 'eka (turmeric), a precious yellow-orange powder used
to adorn the skin.
Artwork Details
- Title: Lidded Bowl (Kotue)
- Date: late 18th–early 19th century
- Geography: Marquesas Islands
- Culture: Marquesan (Enata) people
- Medium: Wood
- Dimensions: H. 6 1/2 × W. 8 1/2 × L. 13 1/2 in. (16.5 × 21.6 × 34.3 cm)
- Classification: Wood-Containers
- Credit Line: Gift of Evelyn A. J. Hall, 1986
- Object Number: 1986.476.4a, b
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing
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