H x W x D: 32.8 x 21.5 x 21.5 cm (12 15/16 x 8 7/16 x 8 7/16 in.)
Type:
Ceramics
Geography:
Suleja, Nigeria
Date:
1960s
Label Text:
This vessel is the modern equivalent of a traditional Gbagyi pot known as tulu, which was used to store liquids such as beer and water. While older tulu forms were elaborated with incised designs and grooves, modern tulu like this one have painted motifs. Made by a ceramist whose name we do not know, the vessel is covered with a blue glaze and abstract motifs such as X and zigzag designs. This is typical of the glazing techniques of the Abuja pottery workshop begun by English studio art potter Michael Cardew and its most famous representative the artist Ladi Kwale.
Description:
The vessel is spherical shaped with a flat bottom, a short narrow neck with grooves, a flat wide handle that connects the body to the rim and a stopper that screws into the top. The entire surface is covered with a blue colored glaze interspersed with alternating X and zigzag shaped motifs painted on the upper half of the body.
Provenance:
Dr. Newton Hill, New York, collected in Nigeria, 1960s
Sylvia H. and Charlton E. Williams, Washington D.C., -- to 2002
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