Gur-speaking peoples, possibly Lobi
Burkina Faso
Northern Africa and the Sahel
Altar Vessel
INV-1513
Gur-speaking peoples, possibly Lobi
Burkina Faso
Northern Africa and the SahelEarly/mid–20th century
lobiArts of Africagurafrican Artearthenwarearts of Africa
Date
Early/mid–20th century
Medium
Terracotta
Dimensions
45 × 40 × 40 cm (17 3/4 × 15 3/4 × 15 3/4 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Arnold Crane Fund; Irving Dobkin Endowment; through prior acquisitions of Katharine Kuh
Across the Gur-speaking region, individuals and families establish altars to honor and commune with influential spirits. Making altar vessels is the work of highly accomplished potters. The spikes on these vessels reflect a practice that is found across West Africa. Among the Lobi, such spikes symbolize fertility, fecundity, and protection. On this vessel, a chameleon, a symbol of wealth, stands squarely on the lid used to protect the powerful substances within from natural and supernatural contamination. [See also 2005.235].
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