Peruvian Hand Carved Gourd Bowl by Lucuma Designs Mate Burilado Folk Art

Questions? Leave a comment below!   This is a hand-carved Peruvian gourd bowl, traditionally known as a mate burilado. This specific piece features an abstract circles pattern and comes from Lucuma Designs, a fair-trade organization that partners with master artisan families in Cochas Chico, Peru, to preserve this ancient craft.   Gourd carving is the oldest continuous handicraft tradition in Peru, dating back more than 4,000 years to pre-Columbian Andean civilizations.Natural Materials: The bowl is fashioned out of a hard-shelled natural squash or calabash that has been skinned, cleaned, and sun-dried until hollow.   The rich brown, tan, and orange hues on the surface are not painted on. Instead, artists gently blow on glowing embers of eucalyptus wood to carefully scorch the natural skin. The fine white outlines bordering the circular segments are hand-etched down past the charred exterior layer into the light natural core of the gourd shell.  Great preowned condition  See photos for condition