Mid Century Congolese Carved Malachite Vide-Poche Dish C.1960

A single carved malachite vide-poche of notably superior quality, worked from a generous piece of Katanga malachite displaying exceptional banding throughout. The form is an organic elongated teardrop with a gently pointed extension at one end, the interior hollowed to a generous shallow well and polished to a mirror finish. What distinguishes this piece from comparable examples is the quality of the stone and the treatment of the exterior: the entire surface, flanks, underside, and pointed extension is fully polished rather than left in raw matrix, revealing continuous concentric banding and multiple large "peacock eye" formations across every face. The interior banding shows a spectacular composition of interlocking oval eyes, flowing wave patterns, and tight concentric rings in deep forest green, mid emerald, and lighter minty green. The exterior flanks carry dense rosette clusters of stacked circular eye formations of considerable graphic impact.

Origin: Democratic Republic of Congo (Katanga)
Medium: Solid carved and polished malachite
Dimensions: L 11.5 cm, W 9 cm, H 2.5 cm
Condition: Excellent. Fully polished throughout; no chips, cracks, or losses. Natural minor colour variations inherent to the stone.