Old Pitjantjatjara Coolamon Bowl from South Australia

Item A89 

This Item was Sold on 8 November 2015 for $83


Similar artifacts for sale are often found on the Aboriginal Artifacts web page.

Historical Pricing information for this item and similar artifacts can be found at: Historical Artifact Prices.


This old Aboriginal Coolamon Container was made by the Pitjantjatjara Aborigines in South Australia. I have owned this bowl for more than 25 years and it was old when I acquired it from William Fagan and Company. Coolamons are multipurpose containers that are used for food preparation, grinding ochre minerals and for the preparation of vegetables and herbs. The bowl is made out of a hardwood with a smooth grain structure. It has a deep concave or saddleback shape. The outer surface is decorated with pyrographic art and the inner surface is scraped smooth. Overall, it resembles a tortoise shell. This style of Coolamon container was made between the 1930s and 1960s. This is one of the older ones. It is also larger than most. This coolamon is in excellent condition. The upper outer edge on one side has a few spots of shallow abrasion, probably the result of storage or shipping. This is very minor and there are no cracks or splits. It will display very well. Please view the photos below. The small white dot on the inside of the bowl is a small paper tag with a catalog ID. View a similar coolamon that recently sold on eBay for $108. This coolamon is older and better quality and the artwork is more traditional.

Length = 36 cm ; Width = 13 cm ; Height = 6+ cm Weight = 444 gm


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