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Storage Container (Etso)

A work made of terracotta.

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  • A work made of terracotta.

Date:

Early/mid–20th century

Artist:

Nupe
Nigeria
Coastal West Africa

About this artwork

Among the Nupe the skills for making useful, beautiful domestic pottery are passed down from mother to daughter. Specialized family ateliers were once active throughout Nupe country, particularly in the area of Bida, the region’s capital. While large pots are fired in the open, more dimunitive ones are placed in a small, roofless, earthen kiln, a technique rarely found in Africa. According to scholars, columnar containers such as this one are typical of ceramics produced in Bida’s Masagá, or glass worker’s quarter. These vessels are likely made with the direct pull method, which Nupe potters use along with the convex mold technique. Such objects appear in two distinct styles. One features a series of broad, flat rings that encircle the trunk from just below the neck to just above the bowl-like base. The other, more delicate style, seen here, features an ornate array of raised and incised marks, and often includes a pair of close-set cones at midpoint, suggestive of breasts. Columnar containers are used in Nupe homes to store clothing and dry goods. In one abandoned village, such vessels were documented half-buried in the earthen floor, possibly to help in preserving foodstuffs. The pieces are designed so that a round-bottomed pot can be stacked on top of their wide, substantial rims. This helps keep the contents clean and is also an efficient use of space in the tight quarters of a traditional Nupe house. It is for this reason that such containers are sometimes referred to as “pot stands.” Formally, this stacking also mirrors the stacked appearance of the carved wooden posts used to support the structure of Nupe homes.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Africa

Culture

Nupe

Title

Storage Container (Etso)

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

62.2 × 31.1 cm (24 1/2 × 12 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Keith Achepohl

Reference Number

2005.245

Extended information about this artwork

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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