Vessel with Lid

Lobi people, Burkina Faso, African

Mid 20th century

  • Titles Vessel with Lid (Descriptive)
  • Medium fired clay and slip
  • Dimensions 16 1/2 x 15 3/4 in. Diam. (41.9 x 40 cm)
  • Credit Line Collection of the Art Fund, Inc. at the Birmingham Museum of Art; Dick Jemison Collection of African Pottery, AFI.349.2012a-b
  • Work Type vessel with lid
  • Classification Containers

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Helmet mask composed of long plank, heavy, hemispherical brow ridge, and tall, vertical, jointed horns. Small square eyes just below brow ridge on either side of the nose are pierced through the plank. Plank divided vertically by raised ridge extending from nose to raised umbilicus, located in bottom third of mask. No mouth is evident. Mask bears traces of symmetrical geometric patterns in red, black and white pigments. A sacred mask owned and worn solely by blacksmiths among the Bobo people; associated with the cult of Dwo.
Ovoid, brownish-red vessel with lug handles at mid-point of body, and short, slightly flaring rim. Vessel is demarcated around widest point with band of incised dots; top half of vessel is smooth, and bottom half is adorned with rolled texture, and blackened.
Round, brownish, footed vessel has cut-in lid with knob in form of modeled human head. Entire vessel and lid covered with raised knobs and whitish pigment.
Brown ovoid vessel indents deeply at neck and rim flares outward. Shoulder and mid-section of vessel have roulette pattern; vertical line bisects body of vessel with two sets of raised bumps on either side.