Attributed to Unobhadule (active mid- to late 19th century)
Northern Nguni
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Eastern and Southern Africa
Lidded Container
INV-5844
Attributed to Unobhadule (active mid- to late 19th century)
Northern Nguni
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Eastern and Southern AfricaMid–late 19th century
Lidded Container
Attributed to Unobhadule (active mid- to late 19th century) Northern Nguni KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Eastern and Southern Africa →nguniArts of Africaafrican Artsouth africancontainerwood
Date
Mid–late 19th century
Medium
Wood
Dimensions
overall: 48.3 × 25.4 × 25.4 cm (19 × 10 × 10 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Ada Turnbull Hertle Fund
The use of this container with its graceful ovoid form and incised linear pattern is unclear. It may have served as a prestige object for a high-ranking member of society—for instance, providing a place to store tobacco in honor of guests and ancestors on festive and ritual occasions. Recent scholarship suggests that it may have been made explicitly for sale to a foreign client, tourist, or resident.
Also notable
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