Bowl on a base
Artist Unidentified
20th century, 1950–2000
Object PlaceLiberia or Cote d'Ivoire
Medium/TechniqueWood and braided fibers
DimensionsOverall: 26 x 48 cm (10 1/4 x 18 7/8 in.) (slightly irregular)
Credit LineGift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession number2009.2709
On View
Not on viewClassificationsDecorative arts
Collections
Many objects made by the Dan and their neighbors, including this bowl, left Africa through Abidjan, where galleries and high-end merchants catered to collectors. Such bowls are associated with the female domain, and the generosity and hospitality of women who excel in cooking and hard work. Each quarter in a village names and honors one such woman, called wunkirle, who carries a richly decorated ladle as emblem of her achievement and serves food from elaborately carved bowls.
Inscriptionsred plastic label on side of foot: "137"Provenance1966, sold by Samir Borro, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, to Geneviève McMillan (b. 1922 - d. 2008), Cambridge, MA; 2008, to the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation, Cambridge; 2009, gift of the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 17, 2009)
20th–mid 20th century
