A Southern California Native American bowl, found Santa Paula Gorge, 1933. Said to have been found upside down with gold inside. Perfect symmetry. Stunning in its simplicity. As good in design as any Japanese or Chinese bowl of any period. The steatite for this bowl would have been quarried on Catalina Island. Some fissures on exterior bottom of bowl which do not penetrate to interior, and some minor chips along lower exterior surface and a tiny one on rim. Blackened patina. Overall excellent condition. Certainly the most elegant stone bowl we have seen; a tour de force of aesthetic minimalism. Circa 1500 AD or before. $3500
Ex. Payton Collection; ex. Britt Marin Collection, Malibu; ex. Anthropos Fine Arts, Laguna Beach, CA.
4.5 in. 6.5 in / 11.5 cm. x 16.5 cm. // 5 lbs. 6 oz. / 2.45 kg.