Collection record · Objects & craft
Lidded Pot
The collection record classifies this work as vessels. It is dated 1900s. Recorded culture or place: Southern Africa, South Africa, Zulu, mid-20th century.
Explore the object recordOBJECT RECORD
A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Lidded Pot
- Date
- 1900s
- Culture / origin
- Southern Africa, South Africa, Zulu, mid-20th century
- Materials and technique
- Terracotta and plant fiber
- Dimensions
- Diameter: 45.7 cm (18 in.); Overall: 33 cm (13 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1999.13
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
This large, beautifully shaped vessel was used for the serving of beer, an essential component of Zulu hospitality. Undecorated vessels were for private household use, and ornamented examples were reserved for guests. Zulu pottery is produced by women, and is typically thin-walled, with a burnished black surface. Decoration may be incised around the shoulder, as in this example, or may consist of raised bumps that resemble body scarification. The basketry lid protects the vessel's contents from flies or debris; contemporary pot lids are often woven of telephone wire with a colorful plastic coating
FOLLOW THE SOURCE
Text and image sources
The Cleveland Museum of Art · John L. Severance Fund · CC0
The summary is based on public collection data. Refer to the museum’s latest record for the title, date and attribution.
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