Altar vessel
Altar vessel

Currently not on view

Altar vessel,

20th century

Lobi artist
2016-550 a-b

Pots with a surface of bristling spiked points have long been attributed to the Lobi people of Burkina Faso, but recent scholarship has determined that they are more likely to be made by Gouin or Tusyan potters from the region. Made of clay fired at a low temperature on an open flame, this bulbous vessel shows evidence of use. The purpose for this specific vessel is unknown, but the decorative surface may relate to powerful anti-theft talismans.

Information

Title
Altar vessel
Dates

20th century

Maker
Lobi artist
Medium
Terracotta
Dimensions
50.8 × 38.1 cm (20 × 15 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Michael Rips, Class of 1976
Object Number
2016-550 a-b
Place Made

Africa, Côte d’Ivoire

Culture
African, Lobi
Type
vessels (containers), ceramics, containers
Materials
terracotta, ceramic
Techniques
firing (technique)
Subject
geometric patterns, altars, pyramids (geometric figures)

Unrecorded private collection, North Africa; purchased by private collection, United States; purchased by Michael Rips, New York, NY; donated to the Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ, 2016.

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