H x W x D: 31.5 x 33.5 x 32.7 cm (12 3/8 x 13 3/16 x 12 7/8 in.)
Type:
Ceramics
Geography:
Grassfields region, Cameroon
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 Bamum bowl probably held food or a condiment. The raised handle on this vessel suggests a human torso. While the vessel is minimally decorated, the surface is completely covered with roulette patterns that enhance its basic shape.
Description:
Spherical vessel with a dark colored body. The top portion has a roulette pattern. The rim has three bands of clay around it. A handle with two openings topped by a small round shaped projection covered with incised lines rises from the back of the vessel. Opposite this handle is a small projecting nodule.
Provenance:
Eric Ghysels, Brussels, -- to 1990
Colette Ghysels, Brussels, 1990 to 2000
Exhibition History:
Beautiful Bodies: Form and Decoration of African Pottery, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., May 6, 2001-January 6, 2002
Content Statement:
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