A gourd is a hard-shelled fruit that grows in many shapes and sizes, and can even be trained to grow in different shapes. Its shell is often used as a vessel or utensil. This gourd vessel, used for storing lime used as an ingredient in betel-chewing, has been decorated by burning but still very much retains its original form. It is from the Trobriand Islands in Papua New Guinea, and was made some time before 1925.

View database record 1925.23.21