Water or Palm Wine Container

Arts of Africa

Early/mid–20th century

Nupe or related tradition
Nigeria
Coastal West Africa

The Nupe make pottery in a region that is rich in interrelated ceramic traditions. This may in part explain the great diversity of forms, but it also makes it difficult at times to distinguish the origins of a piece based solely on its style. This bottle may have come from north of the Nupe region. Its body has a distinctive shape, like two bowls set together and joined at midpoint. From this base rises a narrow, columnar neck with a flared mouth. Deep channels of linear incising are drawn over the surface in alternating directions, giving it a dynamic texture.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of Africa

Culture: Nupe
Title: Water or Palm Wine Container
Place: Nigeria (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
Dimensions: 43.2 × 31.8 cm (17 × 12 1/2 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Keith Achepohl
Reference Number: 2005.244

Kathleen Bickford Berzock, For Hearth and Altar: African Ceramics from the Keith Achepohl Collection (The Art Institute and Yale University Press, 2005), pp. 124-125.

Art Institute of Chicago, For Hearth and Altar: African Ceramics from the Keith Achepohl Collection, Dec. 3, 2005–Feb. 20, 2006, cat. 75.

Douglas Dawson Gallery, Chicago, Ill., 1988; sold to Keith Achepohl, Iowa City, Iowa, by 1995; 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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