19th c. Hand Carved Lignum Vitae Bowling Ball and Pins c.1800s

ABOUT A primitive 19th century Lignum Vitae bowling ball and 10 pins. All hand carved. Bowling has remnants of a metal cladding and nails. CREATOR Unknown. DATE OF MANUFACTURE c.1800s. MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES Lignum Vitae. CONDITION Good. Wear consistent with age and use. Pins have wear throughout. Bowling ball has epoxy resin applied inside. DIMENSIONS Ball: Diameter: 7 in. x 8 in., Pins: H 24-25 in. Diameter 3 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.