Description
This snuff container made of cattle horn was worn by a high-ranking man as a pendant. Its material, shape, and use connect it to the spirit world. Cattle have been a primary source of wealth throughout southern Africa, playing a critical role in communications between the living and the dead. Tobacco was part of wedding gifts and also offered to the ancestors.
Provenance
Jean-Pierre Laprugne, Paris, by 1997 [this and the following according to personal correspondence from Dori Rootenberg in curatorial file]; sold to David Petty, London, from 1997 [Klopper and Nel, 2002, p. 64]; sold to Kevin and Anna (née Bennett) Conru, Brussels, by 2002 [Klopper and Nel, 2002, p. 64]; Anna Bennett (ex Conru), Brussels and London, from 2009; consigned to Jacaranda Tribal, New York, 2017; sold to the Art Institute, 2017.
Accession Number
241601
Medium
Cattle horn, copper, brass, and iron
Dimensions
10.2 × 40.1 × 7.7 cm (4 × 15 3/4 × 3 in.)
Classification
snuff bottle
Credit Line
African Decorative Arts Fund
