Container

Arts of Africa

Early/mid–20th century

Nuna
Burkina Faso
Northern Africa and the Sahel

The complex form of this tall and narrow storage vessel was constructed in several phases, starting with the base, which was textured with a roulette (a toothed disk), and followed by the foot. The upper half, culminating in the ribbed neck, was then built using a coiling technique. The lid was likely formed separately. The imagery on its surface includes tall staffs that may represent old iron currency; a snake; and a bush-buffalo head signifying prosperity, protection, and fertility.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of Africa

Culture: Nuna
Title: Container
Place: Burkina Faso (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Made 1900–1950
Medium: Terracotta and slip
Dimensions: 87.6 × 35.6 cm (34 1/2 × 14 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Keith Achepohl
Reference Number: 2005.228

Kathleen Bickford Berzock, For Hearth and Altar: African Ceramics from the Keith Achepohl Collection (The Art Institute and Yale University Press, 2005), pp. 88-89.

Art Institute of Chicago, For Hearth and Altar: African Ceramics from the Keith Achepohl Collection, Dec. 3, 2005–Feb. 20, 2006, cat. 45

Roger LaFevre, Brussels, Belgium, by 1999; sold to Douglas Dawson Gallery, Chicago, Ill., by 2000; sold to Keith Achepohl, Iowa City, Iowa, 2000; given to the Art Institute, 2005.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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