H x W x D: 25.8 x 16.5 x 16.3 cm (10 3/16 x 6 1/2 x 6 7/16 in.)
Type:
Ceramics
Geography:
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Date:
Early 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.
This complex, intertwining form consists of stirrup handles with a spout on top. The handles and body are hollow inside, allowing the water to pass through and remain cool.
Description:
Stoppered vessel with a globular body and two intertwining handles, one of them a stirrup spout.
Provenance:
Walshaert collection, Antwerp, before 1930
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
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