Apiras bowl from the Solomon Islands, the body of the bowl is made from blackened wood. Traditionally the blackening would be achieved with a mixture of charcoal and natural plant sap. Gaps in the black colouring make viable the orange / yellow of the natural wood colouring.
The bowl has a tear drop shape to its rims circumference, with decorative features at both ends of its form. The vessel may have been shaped into the form of a frigate-bird, ship or fish. The decorative finials are of a whole fish and bird head at the front, while at the other end are forms resembling vertical and horizontal tail fins.
Mother of pearl inlay has been used on and around both finials in two ways, firstly to form eyes for the fish and bird heads on the front finial. The second mother of pearl inlay is a triangular shape with four wedge sections removed. This second form of inlay is found on both finials, used as a boarder on the rim and to decorate the fins on the rear finial.
