H x W x D: 22.9 × 27.9 × 23.7 cm (9 × 11 × 9 5/16 in.)
Type:
Sculpture
Geography:
Zambia
Date:
Early to mid-20th century
Label Text:
CURATORIAL RESEARCH | Arts of a nation. Lozi works of art are rare in U.S. collections, though they display formal creativity and a remarkable history.
Turn-of-the-20th-century Lozi king Lewanika (r. 1878–1916) was both a savvy politician and a renowned artist. Lewanika negotiated to have his kingdom, Barotseland, established as a British Protectorate and not a colony. His talents also included carving wood and ivory, and basket weaving, as well as fabricating spectacular barges and pageants. He formed a workshop in the royal capital and sold Lozi wares, thus demonstrating a commitment to the arts that influenced art production throughout his kingdom.
Curatorial research at the museum indicates that the bowl with the horse atop its lid was likely carved by Lewanika or his workshop. The fanciful bowl in the shape of coiled snakes was probably carved during the reign of Lewanika’s son and successor, and reveals the ongoing artistic creativity in this region.
Description:
Lidded wood food bowl carved in the form of two snakes coiled one above the other. The lid is one snake; the bowl another. The exterior has been stained near black; the interior remains natural wood.
Provenance:
Colin Sayers, Cape Town, -- to 2014
Field collected by Ken Karner
Exhibition History:
Visionary: Viewpoints on Africa's Arts, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 4, 2017-ongoing
Content Statement:
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