H x W x D: 29.8 x 29.7 x 29.7 cm (11 3/4 x 11 11/16 x 11 11/16 in.)
Type:
Ceramics
Geography:
Nigeria
Date:
Early to mid-20th century
Label Text:
African potters--primarily women--handbuild a variety of vessels that they embellish with beautiful colors, designs and motifs before firing them at low temperatures. Containers made for daily use hold water or serve as cooking utensils. They also make vessels to be used in special ceremonies or that become part of an assemblage of objects placed in a shrine.
The richly incised and impressed motifs on this dark-bodied vessel were created with a comb and a roulette. The rounded bottom and wide mouth suggest the vessel may have been used for storage.
Description:
Dark toned, round bottomed vessel with a tall body that tapers to a flared lip. The vessel is decorated in a semicircular and horizontal linear incised pattern with arched and inverted V patterns, with an impressed pattern around the bottom.
Provenance:
Charles Mahauden collection, Belgium, before 1950
Exhibition History:
Purpose and Perfection: Pottery as a Woman's Art in Central Africa, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 15, 1992-June 15, 1997
Content Statement:
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