H x W x D: 18.7 x 15.7 x 15.5 cm (7 3/8 x 6 3/16 x 6 1/8 in.)
Type:
Ceramics
Geography:
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Angola
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.
The sturdiness of this thick-bodied vessel is further enhanced by the application of strips of clay and imported brass tacks. Such tacks are found on numerous other Kongo objects including gourds, furniture and figures.
Description:
Vessel in the shape of a pitcher with a handle scored with crisscross incisions and zigzag or triangular motifs to which brass tacks have been added.
Provenance:
Mission collection, 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
Published References:
Hexter, M. and W.R. Hopwood. 1992. Investigation of Decorative Coatings on Kongo Ceramics Using UV Light and FTIR Analysis. Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology III. Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings. 267: p. 304, no. 7.
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