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Ritual Dish (Daveniyaqona) - 2018.433
This ceremonial dish is believed to be from the early nineteenth century from Fiji. It was expertly carved out of sacred vesi wood and it is worth the visit to the Met Museum website to see the other views. According to the museum website It was to be used by the Fijian priests as a tool of communication with the gods and spirits on behalf of the chiefs. The dish was made to hold the sacred oil made from the yaqona plant which was used to anoint the priest's body during rituals in which the gods would possess the priests. The dish when standing upright shows a strong looking figure with a somber facial expression symbolic of the sacred ritual the object was intended for. The height of the object is 12 3/4 inches, the width is 7 3/4 inches and the depth of the object is 2 5/8 inches. It was purchased in 2017 by The Benefit Fund, Gordon Sze MD, The Richman Family Foundation, and Steven Kossak Gifts, Andrea Bollt Bequest, in memory of Robert Bollt Sr. and Robert Bollt Jr., and The Ruddock Foundation for the Arts Gift, 2018; the accession number is 2018.433. This item is not on view currently, but it is located at The Met Fifth Avenue. This image is in the public domain.
Ritual Dish (Daveniyaqona) - 2018.433
This ceremonial dish is believed to be from the early nineteenth century from Fiji. It was expertly carved out of sacred vesi wood and it is worth the visit to the Met Museum website to see the other views. According to the museum website It was to be used by the Fijian priests as a tool of communication with the gods and spirits on behalf of the chiefs. The dish was made to hold the sacred oil made from the yaqona plant which was used to anoint the priest's body during rituals in which the gods would possess the priests. The dish when standing upright shows a strong looking figure with a somber facial expression symbolic of the sacred ritual the object was intended for. The height of the object is 12 3/4 inches, the width is 7 3/4 inches and the depth of the object is 2 5/8 inches. It was purchased in 2017 by The Benefit Fund, Gordon Sze MD, The Richman Family Foundation, and Steven Kossak Gifts, Andrea Bollt Bequest, in memory of Robert Bollt Sr. and Robert Bollt Jr., and The Ruddock Foundation for the Arts Gift, 2018; the accession number is 2018.433. This item is not on view currently, but it is located at The Met Fifth Avenue. This image is in the public domain.