About this artwork
This snuff kerrie combines a knobkerrie, a short staff with a domed ball-head that could serve as a club in
hunting or combat, and a container for powdered tobacco to be used as snuff. Enhanced with human and animal features, the work has a velvety smooth, honey-colored surface. This fusion of two practical utensils into one finely carved wooden object is an excellent example of the ingenuity that characterizes work by artists in 19th-century southern Africa.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Arts of Africa
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Artist
- Northern Nguni
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Title
- Snuff Kerrie
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Place
- South Africa (Object made in:)
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Medium
- Wood and metal
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Dimensions
- D.: 64.5 cm (25 7/16 in.); DIMs of object on mount. : 42 × 8.9 × 64.8 cm (16 1/2 × 3 1/2 × 25 1/2 in.)
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Credit Line
- African Decorative Arts Fund
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Reference Number
- 2022.1580
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.
