Two Javanese Carved Coconut Dishes with Silver Mounts

This pair of small bowls might have served as a salts or chilli dishes. Each is of the most perfectly carved coconut shell – each being carved with different foliage and floral motifs influenced by 18th century Dutch silver designs. The coconut shells have then been mounted on plain, flared silver feet, and lined with plain sheet silver.

The two probably date to around the 1920s and are from Java or possibly Bali and would have been made for the Dutch colonial market.

In terms of condition, the coconut shells have the expected old but stable cracking here and there, but otherwise the bowls are in excellent condition.