Snuff Container

Possibly mid–late 19th century

Northern Nguni
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Eastern and Southern Africa

This snuff container made of cattle horn was worn by a high-ranking man as a pendant. Its material, shape, and use connect it to the spirit world. Cattle have been a primary source of wealth throughout southern Africa, playing a critical role in communications between the living and the dead. Tobacco was part of wedding gifts and also offered to the ancestors.

Status: On View, Gallery 137
Department: Arts of Africa

Culture: Northern Nguni
Title: Snuff Container
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.: 1850–1899
Medium: Cattle horn, copper, brass, and iron
Dimensions: 6 × 40 cm (2 3/8 × 15 3/4 in.)
Credit Line: African Decorative Arts Fund
Reference Number: 2018.5

Klopper, Sandra, and Karel Nel. 2002. The Art of Southeast Africa from the Conru Collection. Milan: 5 Continents, pg. 64, pl. 11.
Constantine Petridis et al., Speaking of Objects: African Art at the Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 2020), cat. no. 73, pp. 182-183 (ill.).

Jean-Pierre Laprugne, Paris, by 1997 [this and the following according to personal correspondence from Dori Rootenberg in curatorial file]; sold to David Petty, London, from 1997 [Klopper and Nel, 2002, p. 64]; sold to Kevin and Anna (née Bennett) Conru, Brussels, by 2002 [Klopper and Nel, 2002, p. 64]; Anna Bennett (ex Conru), Brussels and London, from 2009; consigned to Jacaranda Tribal, New York, 2017; sold to the Art Institute, 2017.

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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