Snuff container ·  South Africa, Zulu · ID: 3041205

Description

calabash, copper- and brass wire, made from especially hard-shelled pumpkin, wire ornament in circles and semi-circles, number “13”, small round opening with accurately fitting lid;
the wire ends were inserted in holes which were drilled according to the desired pattern, but could not be fixed on the inside. Despite the wire decor is extremely durable. Snuff containers were made throughout Southern Africa, in part because of the widely-held assumption that snuff could be used to mediate relations between the ancestors and their descendants. The wirework decorations commonly used to make these containers varied from one area to another.

The object Snuff container with the object ID 3041205 was last part of the auction 84th Tribal Art Auction at November 5, 2016 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 523 achieved a sales price of EUR 800.

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Comparing literature

Ginzberg, Marc, Afrikanische Formen, Mailand 2001, p. 120 Conru, Kevin (ed.), The Art of Southeast Africa, Milan 2002, ill. 55

Publications

Mestdagh, Patrick & Ondine (ed.), Spheres plaisir, Brussels 2013