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Storage Container (Mulondo)

A work made of terracotta.

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  • A work made of terracotta.

Date:

Early/mid–20th century

Artist:

Songye
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Central Africa

About this artwork

Writing in 1905 and 1906, the German ethnographer Leo Frobenius praised Songye pottery, attributing to it a “plainly astonishing beauty and a copious but measurable abundance of forms.” Indeed, Frobenius recorded over two hundred different types of Songye pots, many of which were variations on the tall-necked storage container.

This container demonstrates the stylistic variations-on-a-theme that characterize Songye pottery: it is embellished in a characteristically robust style, with deeply incised lines that emphasize the neck and shoulders. The chain of arches around the shoulders have a bouncing spontaneity. According to Frobenius, much of this kind of embellishment is added to a pot when it is still wet, while finer details are incised after it is leather hard. The surface is overlaid with a dense, crusty coating interrupted by areas of high sheen that suggest age and use. [See also 1995.149].

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Africa

Culture

Songye

Title

Storage Container (Mulondo)

Place

Democratic Republic of the Congo (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

48.9 × 45.1 cm (19 1/4 × 17 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Keith Achepohl

Reference Number

2005.252

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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