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Vessel for Serving Beer (Ukhamba)

A work made of blackened terracotta.

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  • A work made of blackened terracotta.

Date:

Mid–20th century

Artist:

Zulu
Hlabisa region, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Eastern and Southern Africa

About this artwork

Among the Zulu, pottery is a specialized art form that is practiced by skilled women who make wares for family use and for sale. While many of the same forms of pottery—including the round-bodied and lipless beer-serving vessel—can be found across Zululand, there are distinctive regional styles of decoration. Potters in the Hlabisa region use a comb to inscribe thin, closely spaced lines into the wet clay. On this pot these form a textured panel of delicate ridges around the body that is intersected by a smooth zigzag band at the shoulders.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Africa

Culture

Northern Nguni

Title

Vessel for Serving Beer (Ukhamba)

Place

South Africa (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.

1925–1975

Medium

Blackened terracotta

Dimensions

24.1 × 29.2 cm (9 1/2 × 11 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Keith Achepohl

Reference Number

2005.261

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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