Vessel

Possibly Republic of Cameroon, African

19th-20th century

  • Titles Vessel (Descriptive)
  • Medium fired clay and slip
  • Dimensions 24 1/8 x 22 in. Diam. (61.3 x 55.9 cm)
  • Credit Line Collection of the Art Fund, Inc. at the Birmingham Museum of Art; Dick Jemison Collection of African Pottery, AFI.396.2012
  • Work Type vessel
  • Classification Containers

See More of the Collection

Standing male figure with flexed knees and solid block for feet; one hand on hip, one arm raised with elbow bent (hand broken off). Heart-shaped face with thick rims around eyes. Packets of medicinal material wrapped in fabric on abdomen and elbows. Surface colored with base of reddish-brown pigment; large white spots of pigment on body and white marks on face
Vertical iron pole with six iron currency objects attached at top; three objects are iron hoe-blade currencies, and three are possibly rattles, hoe-shaped but open in center and with an enclosed portion that could have held percussive elements Function: Currency staffs constitute a display of wealth; if it is Fulani, it would have been owned by settled Fulani rather than nomadic herders.
Container with Lid (Forowa), Asante people, Ghana, African, brass
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.