From the Fire, Historic African Ceramics

douglas dawson from the fire historic african ceramics

1

douglas dawson from the fire historic african ceramics

INFO@DOUGLASDAWSON.COM

VESSEL DOGON CULTURE MALI 11.5"×14.5" 18727

From the Fire Historic African Ceramics The 1990’s was a decade of revelation. Every few months a previously unseen type of pottery vessel from Africa appeared on the market. Young African traders quickly communicated this new interest among Westerners to African dealers operating in the capitals of various African nations. These dealer’s cadres of runners scoured remote villages for old, mostly discarded vessels that had been replaced by either plastic or enamel pots. Shipping containers were filled with pots – together with cords of recently-made wooden sculpture. Most of these containers wound up on the docks of New York City where they easily cleared customs. Once cleared, the cargo entered one of several large storage facilities in Midtown Manhattan. Here the African importer was met by other Africans who lived in the US and who had excellent command of English, a thorough knowledge of the art market – and most importantly a van and road map of the United States. These American-based ‘runners’ fanned out across the country with vans full of dubious sculpture but with a few authentic pots tucked in among the wood. It was an exciting time. We few dealers and collectors who were interested in African ceramics in those years experienced the thrill of seeing these pots for the first time – and seeing in them an ancient tradition very different from any other great ceramic tradition.

2015 finds a different picture. 911 changed much. Africans who once traveled freely between Africa and the US were now denied visas. Customs, armed with the Patriot Act, became impossible to maneuver without costly legal advice and lengthy delays. The supply of old pots emerging from villages diminished significantly and exotic fake pots appeared.

Today museums and collectors are interested in the best and most interesting African pots in any category. Encyclopedic collections representing all of Africa are now difficult to assemble. Today one may not experience the revelation of the 90’s but truly remarkable vessels are still available and still inexpensive compared to the price of comparable, authentic wooden sculpture.

This catalog contains some types we have not shown before. Among them the collection of eccentric vessels from the Utyo region of the DRC. (pp.70–71) The Berber plate, (p.4) beautifully decorated with pre-firing slip in complex geometric patterns is rare and not before seen in one of this gallery’s catalogs. The stunning Tumbuka vessel, field collected in Malawi, is a masterpiece of this class of vessel. Nupe stand pots (pp.107–109), so archaic and architectonic in feeling, likewise appear here for the first time.

Today excellent collecting opportunities remain and the sense of revelation is undiminished. The museum bias against ceramics, once so suffocating, has cleared to a significant degree and increasingly great ceramic vessels and sculpture live among wooded artifacts in museum halls. It is still a very exciting time to consider African ceramics.

Douglas Dawson, Chicago, December, 2015

3

COUSCOUS PLATTER BERBER GRAND KABYLIE ALGERIA 3.5"×15.5" 18882

5

BEER VESSEL HLABISA AREA NORTH ZULULAND SOUTH AFRICA 15"×22" 18053

7

CASSAVA FERMENTATION VESSELS NYAKUSA CULTURE MAWALI / TANZANIA L 11.5"×17" 18893 R 11"×16" 18405

9

STORAGE VESSEL BURKINA FASO 22"×20" 10962

11

SHANGO SHRINE VESSEL YORUBA CULTURE NIGERIA 19"×22" 14838

13

WATER / PALM WINE VESSEL BAMUN CULTURE BABESSI CAMEROON 17.5"×18" 16479

WATER / PALM WINE VESSEL BAMUN CULTURE BABESSI CAMEROON 18"×17" 18103

15

SHRINE VESSEL MALI 17.5"×20.5" 18898

17

STORAGE VESSEL MAMBILA CULTURE CAMEROON 15"×12" 19027

19

BEER VESSELS ZULU CULTURE SOUTH AFRICA L 10.5"×13" 18186 R 12"×12" 18185

21

PALM WINE VESSEL YAMBA / GOM CULTURE CAMEROON 19.75"×16" 18873

23

CASSAVA FERMENTATION VESSEL NYAKUSA CULTURE MALAWI / TANZANIA 10"×14.5" 18406

25

CASSAVA FERMENTATION VESSEL NYAKUSA CULTURE MALAWI / TANZANIA 18"×26" 18399

27

STORAGE VESSEL CHEWA CULTURE SOUTHERN MALAWI 16"×16" 18409

29

FOOD VESSELS GRASSLANDS CAMEROON L 10.5"×15.5" 19048 R 9.5"×13" 19049

31

STORAGE VESSEL BAMUN CULTURE CAMEROON 20"×20" 6319

33

STORAGE VESSEL IBO CULTURE NIGERIA 26"×19" 14402

35

LIDDED TREASURE STORAGE VESSEL GURUNSI CULTURE BURKINA FASO 16"×14" 13241

STORAGE VESSEL DAGARI CULTURE BURKINA FASO 16"×16" 10918

37

BEER VESSEL KARIBA REGION UGANDA 22.25"×19.5" 18890

39

STORAGE VESSEL TUMBUKA CULTURE MALAWI 16"×21" 18407

41

HONEY VESSEL MANDINGO CULTURE GUINEA 18"×14" 4626

43

WATER VESSEL BEKALEBWE / SONGYE CULTURE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO 22"×15.5" 18886

45

WATER VESSEL SONGYE CULTURE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO 18"×15" 13111

47

BOTTLES ZANDE / MANGBETU CULTURE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO L 11"×6" 18878 M 9"×7" 18892 R 8"×4" 10936

WATER VESSEL BEKALEBWE / SONGYE CULTURE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO L 21"×15" 18887 BOTTLES ZANDE / MANGBETU CULTURE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO M 7"×5" 10937 R 8"×6.25" 18891

49

STORAGE VESSEL KONGOBA MALI 18"×15" 10440

51

BOTTLE CONGO 11.5"×7.5" 18983

53

STORAGE VESSEL JERMA CULTURE NIGER 22"×15" 3990

55

BOTTLE YAKKA CULTURE CONGO 15.5"×10" 18637

BOTTLE TUTSI CULTURE RWANDA 13.5"×9" 19024

57

POURING VESSEL MATAKAM CULTURE CHAD 21"×17" 11198

59

BOTTLES TUTSI CULTURE RWANDA L 9.25"×7" 18883 R 9.5"×7.5" 18884

61

STORAGE VESSEL BASA NKWOMO CULTURE NIGERIA 14.5"×16" 19054

63

ANCESTOR VESSEL GA’ANDA CULTURE BENUE VALLEY NIGERIA 21"×12" 18876

65

ANCESTOR VESSEL GA’ANDA CULTURE BENUE VALLEY NIGERIA 25"×16" 15677

67

BOTTLES TEKKE / TIO CULTURE UTYO RIVER AREA DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO L 10"×10.5"×5" 18987 M 12"×9.5"×8" 18984 R 11"×6.5" 18982

BOTTLES TEKKE / TIO CULTURE UTYO RIVER AREA DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO L 11.5"×8"×8.5" 18988 M 12.5"×9"×7.5" 18986 R 6.5"×7"×3" 18985

69

STORAGE VESSEL SENUFO CULTURE KOUMANTOU MALI 18.5"×16" 18881

71

SHRINE VESSEL BAATONU CULTURE BENIN 16"×13" 14644

73

RITUAL LAMP CROSS RIVER AREA NIGERIA 19.5"×12" 18875

75

SHRINE VESSEL AFO CULTURE GHANA 16"×10" 19025

SHRINE VESSEL EWE CULTURE TOGO 28"×17" 13090

77

PALM WINE CONTAINER DEGHA CULTURE GHANA 11.5"×11" 18989

79

RITUAL VESSEL YORUBA CULTURE NIGERIA 14.5"×15" 16577

81

RITUAL VESSEL LUBA / LUNDA CULTURE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO 10.5"×8" 17244

RITUAL VESSEL MAKONDE CULTURE TANZANIA 12.5"×9" 18101

83

BREWING VESSEL LOBI CULTURE BURKINA FASO 14"×15.5" 18902

85

MEDICINE VESSEL BURKINA FASO 18.5"×16" 16657

87

SHRINE VESSEL FON CULTURE BENIN 16"×18" 14466

MEDICINE VESSEL LOBI CULTURE BURKINA FASO 15"×15" 18879

89

EATING BOWL BAMENDA CULTURE CAMEROON 9.5"×10.5" 18864

91

WATER VESSEL NUPE CULTURE PATEGI AREA NIGERIA 17"×16.5" 18896

93

BREWING VESSEL MAKONDE CULTURE TANZANIA / MOZAMBIQUE 22"×26" 17259

95

BOTTLES NDOMBE / SENGELE CULTURE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO L 16"×7.5" 18992 R 17"×8.5" 18993

97

PALM WINE VESSEL IBO CULTURE OWERRI NKREVI AREA NIGERIA 18"×11" 19050

99

BOTTLE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO 15"×12" 18996

101

PITCHER NUPE CULTURE NIGERIA 16"×13" 5754

BOTTLE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO 10.5"×6.5" 18995

103

POT STAND / STORAGE VESSEL NUPE CULTURE NIGERIA 27"×13" 267

105

POT STANDS / STORAGE VESSELS NUPE CULTURE NIGERIA L 16"×10" 18874 R 24"×13" 18084

107

BOTTLE TUTSI CULTURE BURUNDI 15"×10"×11" 19061

109

BEER VESSEL KWAZULU PROVINCE SOUTH AFRICA 12.5"×15.5" 18888

111

For additional information and pricing 224 South Michigan Ave Suite 266 Chicago IL 60604 P 312.226.7975 F 312.226.7974 E info@douglasdawson.com

This catalog was published in conjunction with a major exhibition EDITOR DOUGLAS DAWSON

of African ceramics—From the Fire Historic African Ceramics,

DESIGN THIRST 3ST.COM

exhibited at Douglas Dawson Gallery in 2015.

PHOTOGRAPHY ROSS FLOYD ROSSFLOYD.COM Copyright © 2015 by Douglas Dawson F. COVER WATER VESSEL NUPE CULTURE NIGERIA 17"×16.5" 18896

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced

B. COVER BOTTLE IBO CULTURE NIGERIA 19"×12" 14464

in any manner without permission in writing from Douglas Dawson.

113