Received this from a friend of mine who doesn't know any more about it than me, which is close to nothing, other than it weighs a ton! Inscription on back says it is a miniature replica of the damaged wooden Bavanda Divining Bowl found in a cave in Zimbabwe Ruins in the 1880's. Replica was made by The Books of Rhodesia Publishing Co. Bulawayo Ltd. in 1977. What exactly was the Divining Bowl? Significance? Thanks

I'd get that thing out of my house ASAP.

quote:

Originally posted by Brice:
I'd get that thing out of my house ASAP.

Can't recall, does it bring 13 or 30 years of bad luck . . .

Do a google search on "Zimbabwe Divining Bowl."

Bronze, I assume ...

What a beautiful piece! The creature looks to be a gheko/leopard/anteater hybrid ...

new_guy
Thanks, I guess I was getting to complicated with my google search and was coming up very little. Very interesting information.

Yes it is bronze. The detail work on the front and back is very interesting.

It would have been used by a member of a tribe or family unit for the purpose of ceremonies based on Witchcraft.

Cool ashtray.

Etruscans divined the future with the liver of an animal.There is a bronze liver in a museum which was used for training priests.

The bowl was used to hold the blood of human sacrifices I believe, and the way it congealed, assisted by chemical processes of the bronze alloy allowed the shamaan to fortell the future.

This was named "The Ceremony of the Thirsty Crocodile".

(Trust me it's the truth. )

It's clearly a spitoon. That, or a chastity device for a really, really big gal. What do I win?

KG

don't have any idea what it is, but it looks like a cool piece of art.

Is it an expresso maker?

Maybe it was the king's bed pan.

Books of Rhodesia is now Books of Zimbabwe;
http://www.booksofzimbabwe.com/, now operating out of South Africa (I think). I'm sure they'd be of help in the provenance - assuming its the same company.

S.

Zikali, the ugly dwarf, magician's bowl.