Coco de Mer (Lodoicea maldivica)
Seychelles Islands
A bifurcated organic form organised through a compressed bilateral volume structured around a central cleft and continuous rounded fields.
Description
The form is divided into two contained volumes joined through a recessed central register. Longitudinal striations extend across the exterior surface, following the curvature of the mass. The form tapers to a narrow apex, expands to its greatest breadth across the two lobes, and contracts toward the base, terminating below in a small central basal projection.
Surface is compact and stable. Abrasion is concentrated at projecting areas and lower contact points. Recessed fields retain longitudinal surface definition. The surface is partially polished without altering the overall organic structure.
Context
The Coco de Mer functioned historically as a rare natural specimen within systems of collection and exchange.
Provenance
From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Seychelles, 1990.
Details
- Title
- Coco de Mer (Lodoicea maldivica)
- Origin
- Seychelles Islands
- Date
- 20th century
- Dimensions
- H 35 cm (13.8 in) · W 34 cm (13.4 in) · D 18 cm (7.1 in)
- Medium
- Natural seed (Lodoicea maldivica), partially polished
- Provenance
- From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Seychelles, 1990.
- Condition
- Stable surface; abrasion at projecting and contact points; retained longitudinal definition.
