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Container (abebudie)
Asante
20th century, 1950–2000
Object Place: Ghana
Medium/Technique
Terracotta
Dimensions
Overall (total height): 27 cm (10 5/8 in.)
Other (lid): 16.8 x 26 cm (6 5/8 x 10 1/4 in.)
Ceramics (bowl): 30 x 12.4 cm (11 13/16 x 4 7/8 in.)
Other (lid): 16.8 x 26 cm (6 5/8 x 10 1/4 in.)
Ceramics (bowl): 30 x 12.4 cm (11 13/16 x 4 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession Number2009.2661
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsContemporary Art, Africa and Oceania
ClassificationsDecorative arts
Asante men made figurative pots with human and animal motifs, while women produced utilitarian pottery. So-called "proverb pots," or abebudie, such as this, served as vessels for an important man's drinking water. Tortoise, snail, cock, chameleon, (which embodies patience), and a cocoa pod allude to various Akan proverbs and maxims. An incised heart and key are motifs that came from Europe. Keys demonstrate the control over riches that needed to be locked and secured in chests. The heart stands for honesty, patience, and endurance.
Inscriptionsin black marker underside of lid: Y45
Provenance1982, sold by the Leonard Kahan Gallery, New York, to Geneviève McMillan (b. 1922 - d. 2008), Cambridge, MA; 2008, to the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation, Cambridge; 2009, gift of the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 17, 2009)