19th c. Hand Carved Lingum Vitae Bowling Ball c.1800s

ABOUT An original hand carved Victorian bowling ball made of extremely hard Lingum Vitae wood. CREATOR Unknown. DATE OF MANUFACTURE c.1800s. MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES Lignum Vitae. CONDITION Good. Wear consistent with age and use. DIMENSIONS Diameter: 7 in. HISTORY Lignum vitae is a wood known in parts of Europe known as Pockholz or pokhout. The trees are indigenous to the Caribbean and the northern coast of South America (e.g: Venezuela) and have been an important export crop to Europe since the beginning of the 16th century. The wood was once very important for applications requiring a material with its extraordinary combination of strength, toughness and density. It is also the national tree of the Bahamas, and the Jamaican national flower