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Catalog Data

Maker:
Tswa artist  Search this
Medium:
Ceramic, plant fiber
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 27.4 x 20.8 x 20.4 cm (10 13/16 x 8 3/16 x 8 1/16 in.)
Type:
Ceramics
Geography:
Rwanda
Date:
ca. 1910
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 plaited fiber casing tightly woven over this water vessel protects the body against breakage. It is not known whether the potter and basket weaver were one and the same person.
Description:
Dark colored globular vessel completely encased in basketry.
Provenance:
Count Lippens collection, Belgium, 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:
Polfliet, Leo. 1987. Traditional Zaiirian Pottery. Munich: Fred Jahn Gallery, p. 33, no. 17.
Sieber, Roy. 1997. Purpose and Perfection: Pottery as a Woman's Art in Central Africa. Exhibition booklet. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Content Statement:
As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
Image Requests:
High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
Topic:
male  Search this
Credit Line:
Purchased with funds provided by the Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program
Object number:
89-13-76
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
National Museum of African Art Collection
Data Source:
National Museum of African Art
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys71ad9ecbc-2e55-45df-aa09-7f18651fc158
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmafa_89-13-76