Lidded prestige vessel
#1559Circle of "Unobadula" (active mid–late 19th century, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa)
Mid–late 19th century
Wood
Whakaahuatanga
The author of this imposing statement carved it from a single block of wood using both indigenous and European tools. His innovative design merges two distinct southeast African vessel traditions. While the core exaggerates and monumentalizes the oval form of a snuff container, the dynamic surface treatment of intersecting grooves resembles the texture and graphic patterns of woven baskets. The ambitious openwork extensions around the perimeter evoke a quartet of seated figures with conjoined arms. This form’s complexity warranted contents of high value.
1559. Lidded prestige vessel, Circle of “Unobadula”(?)
Nessa Leibhammer
Additional Information
- Ngā Ahu
- H. 24 13/16 × W. 17 × W. 17 in. (63 × 43.2 × 43.2 cm)
- Whiwhinga
- Purchase, Richard, Ann, John, and James Solomon Families Foundation, Adam M. Lindemann and Amalia Dayan, Herbert and Lenore Schorr, Rogers Fund, and Anonymous
- Tau Whakauru
- 2013.165a, b