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