NUPE TERRACOTTA VESSEL 1, Nigeria

Photographs © Tim Hamill

NUPE, TERRACOTTA VESSEL 1, 12.5", SOLD

Most Nupe art is abstract, with only some abstracted animals in relief on their doors and rare pots. These functional pots, always embellished with carefully executed surface patterns, were stacked on half-buried vessel supports when not in use. Whole walls of terracotta vessels often lined the inside of Nupe houses. Some of these of these show evidence of being repeatedly stacked, with subtle damage or ear around the inside of the lip or rim, or on the outside on the bottom. Several have encrusted surfaces and some are darkened with smoke from cooking and fires kept in the home.

Notable differences include the obvious variations in shape, the added metal in no. 5, the decorated flat top edge of no. 4 and the rare lizard forms on nos. 7 and 9.

The bases are all rounded so the woven supports, similar to what would aid in carrying filled vessels on the head, are included.

We are not interested in shipping these, sorry.

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