Working with ancient swamp kauri is always a humbling experience. This bowl began as a dark, heavy fragment of timber that had rested in New Zealand’s peat bogs for possibly more than 10,000 years—long before human hands ever shaped tools, long before any of us could imagine turning wood into art. When I brought it into my workshop in Carcassonne, I felt as though I was touching a quiet piece of the earth’s memory.
This piece of wood had at some stage been burnt and when I cut the blank I chose to keep the charred exterior of the natural edge as is as I felt it told the story of what this piece of timber had been through as well as highlighting the gorgeous golden hues agains the black edges.
The figure in this piece of swampkauri is exceptional as it was part of the headstock and cut from a big fork of wood where two branches intersected.
Swamp kauri is one of the rarest timbers available to artisans. Preserved naturally in oxygen-poor wetlands, it emerges with a golden shimmer that seems to glow from within. Minerals absorbed over millennia create subtle ripples and pearlescent reflections across the grain. As I turned this bowl, those patterns revealed themselves slowly, shifting under the light like the surface of calm water.
This particular piece carried a rugged edge that I chose to honour rather than remove. I re-charred the rim lightly, creating a striking contrast between the dark, textured perimeter and the luminous golden interior. The effect is both ancient and contemporary—an interplay between fire and time, between the rawness of nature and the refinement of fine woodworking. It’s a detail that invites the hand to explore, offering a tactile reminder of the bowl’s long journey from peat bog to turning lathe.
The form is generous and balanced, shaped to highlight the timber’s natural movement. Finished and polished with carnauba wax, the surface remains entirely natural—no plastic, no synthetic varnish—just a protective sheen that respects the organic nature of the wood. The bowl feels warm and smooth, yet carries the quiet weight of its history.
Owning a piece like this is an invitation to live with something truly ancient. It’s a handmade wooden object, yes, but also a collectible wood sculpture shaped from a material that predates recorded history. If its presence speaks to you, I welcome you to make it part of your home or explore the other swamp kauri works I’ve had the privilege to create.
Diameter: 26cm Height: 10cm Weight: 540g
