Blister figure is the miniaturized form of quilted figure and "Quittle" is the nickname bestowed upon wood that has a blend of both quilted and curly figure.
The hollow body, made of mulberry wood, is shaped in the form of a figure eight and is held horizontally, while the eleven metal strings are plucked with a plectrum.
On a nearby wall hangs "Totem Figure, " a facial relief carved in wood and painted by Cecil Skotnes, who in the 1950s and 1960s presided over a Johannesburg artists' salon called Polly Street that became a training ground for many of South Africa's most influential painters and sculptors.
When cabinetmakers and wood turners want to create a piece with depth and striking figure, they often reach for their stash of quilted and quittled maple.