Vessel

Bozo people, Somono people, African

19th century

  • Titles Vessel (Descriptive)
  • Artist Somono people, Mali
  • Medium fired clay and slip
  • Dimensions 23 x 16 in. Diam. (58.4 x 40.6 cm)
  • Credit Line Collection of the Art Fund, Inc. at the Birmingham Museum of Art; Dick Jemison Collection of African Pottery, AFI.232.2012
  • Work Type vessel
  • Classification Containers

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Headdress of burlap and animal hide, front beaded with red, blue, white, and green glass beads in lozenge and triangle patterns. Five cowrie shells and four wooden peg beads attached on top of surface of glass beads. Wooden pegs, joined in pairs, cover small lozenges of green glass beads. White, brown, black, and blue feathers cover top, sides and back of headdress in spherical shape (slightly flattened in back). Five short wooden dowels attached to back, arranged two, one, two.
Figure, carved of dark wood, of a standing woman with an elaborate coiffure and ringed neck, her hands on her hips, with scarification on her face, standing on a small round base, the sculpture mounted on a square plinth.
Dark brown, round vessel has narrow neck and flaring rim; shoulder has lizard and bird one one side, abstract pattern with diamonds and triangles on other.
Oblong dark heavily patinated vessel has narrow mouth and four appliqued faces evenly spaced at top.