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African Art
Vessel with Figurative Lid
early to mid-20th century
Wood from the Apocynaceae tree family
9 × 4 1/2 × 4 1/2 in. (22.86 × 11.43 × 11.43 cm)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James M. Osborn for the Linton Collection of African Art
1959.72.13
Carved and adorned ointment jars such as this were once used by Baule men and women as containers for shea butter, a cosmetic used for the body. Artists would have had a number of these on hand at all times, carved with precision and fine detail to advertise their skill. The serene face on the lid of this jar may demonstrate the artist’s experience in carving portrait masks.
Geography:
Made in Ivory Coast
Status:
On view
Culture:
Baule
Period:
20th century
Classification:
Containers - Wood
Provenance:
Leon Underwood unknown dates
J.J. Klejman Gallery unknown dates
Dr. Ralph Linton, Sterling Professor of Anthropology at Yale, unknown date–1953
Mr. and Mrs. James M. Osborn donated to Yale University Art Gallery for the Linton Collection of African Art in 1959
Bibliography:
The Linton Collection of African Sculpture, exh. cat. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1954), no. 43.
Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
