Container, Possibly for Water

Description

The direct pull technique of pottery making is used by culturally interrelated Gur-speaking peoples such as the Kasena, Lela, Nuna, Nunuma, Sisala, and Winiama in Burkina Faso and the Gurensi, Nabdam, and Tellensi in Ghana, who are collectively called the Frafra. This vessel may be Frafra in origin. It was purchased in Burkina Faso but may have come from just across the border in northern Ghana, in the region occupied by the Frafra. Its shape—a round body with a tightly indrawn neck and a flared mouth—is common on both sides of the border. The vessel’s large size and narrow neck suggest that it may be a container for carrying or storing water, although its handsome embellishments may indicate a ritual use. Its surface has an almost metallic appearance, and its iconography includes a horse, lizard, and wavy and spiral lines. Horses are longstanding symbols of power and wealth in the region, dating to the fifteenth– and sixteenth-century invasions that heralded the establishment of the Mossi states.

Provenance

Gilbert Ouedraogo, Burkina Faso [imported from Ghana], about 1995; sold to Douglas Dawson Gallery, Chicago, Ill., around 1998; sold to Keith Achepohl, Iowa City, Iowa, by 2005; given to the Art Institute, 2005.

Container, Possibly for Water

Gur

Early/mid–20th century

Accession Number

185663

Medium

Blackened terracotta

Dimensions

59 × 45 × 45 cm (23 1/4 × 17 3/4 × 17 3/4 in.)

Classification

vessel

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Keith Achepohl