The Art of Daily Life
Marcuson & Hall @ Connolly
The Art of Daily Life focuses on a small selection of everyday household objects mainly from sub-Saharan Africa. All have been carefully chosen for their refinement, rarity, age and condition - and most importantly their ethno-aesthetic sensibility. Utilitarian objects of everyday life are an aspect of African art that has been neglected by collectors. Figures, masks and other ritual objects are perhaps easier to relate to as “art� although they too were made as functional items that had both protective and proactive qualities to engage with the spirit-world and their ancestors. All the pieces in this exhibition were made from modest materials that were easily available, such as wood, clay, gourds and fibre. For centuries highly skilled and dextrous craftsmen, using simple tools, have created an array of household objects with imagination and care. The perishable nature of the materials, the fact that they received daily use and have also tended to be undervalued historically by collectors, has resulted in not many of them surviving in good condition, especially outstanding examples. Containers, implements and furnishings were made and used in a traditional context, but their simple forms and functions are often imbued with a deeper cultural meaning. For example, the burnished royal milk vessels of the Buganda Kingdom in southern Uganda were made by official Nyoro potters who were given land and cattle in exchange for their wares. These handsome vessels like many other household implements were signifiers that alluded to family, tribe, social status and profession and would have been recognised as such. The distinction between art and craft vanishes in tribal cultures where everything created had a function - and almost nothing was purely decorative. The simple daily tasks and activities were enriched by the use of carefully crafted objects often embellished with motifs and patterns that spoke to who they were.
In Amagugu kaZulu, Zulu Treasures, 1996, Lindsay Hooper, formerly the collections manager of Iziko Museums in South Africa, states: “It is within the perspectives of belief and world view that all human experience and phenomena acquire meaning. An appreciation of the influence of their context in viewing material objects is essential for a fuller understanding of the significance of an object. Rather like filters which merely colour our views, differing contexts entirely reposition the viewer and the viewed. A single object suggests many interpretations. A carved wooden milk pail is, in one context, an example of forest exploitation, in others a symbol of ethnic identity, a collectable objet d’art of sculptural quality and fine finish, or an everyday object whose very functionality links it to essential beliefs and thus to group identity and cohesion.” The pieces shown in this exhibition come from a time and place where everything was handmade. This exhibition is a tribute to the mostly unknown craftsmen who devoted so much creative ingenuity in making the often neglected, quotidian implements of daily life. Alan Marcuson & Diane Hall, Brussels, May 2019
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hese exceptional milk pots were made by officially appointed Nyoro male potters called kujona, who only made pottery for Bugandan royalty and were given land and cattle in return for their work. Made out of terracotta clay, these coiled pots were burnished with graphite over several firings, giving them a smooth, silvery, black sheen - a finish that was reserved for the Bugandan court. These royal pots are amongst the most refined and delicately made vessels from anywhere in Africa.
1 A Royal Buganda Kingdom Milk Vessel Made by a kujona, an officially appointed Nyoro potter Uganda, Nyoro people Late 19th to early 20th century 34 x 18 cm
2 A Royal Buganda Kingdom Milk Vessel Made by a kujona, an officially appointed Nyoro potter Uganda, Nyoro people Late 19th to early 20th century 33 x 23 cm
3 A Large Kpokpo Weaving Sierra Leone First half of the 20th century 224 x 187 cm Old weavings from Sierra Leone are amongst the rarest of all West African textiles. They were most often used as prestige hangings on ceremonial occasions and other events of note - as a show of wealth and standing in the community. This dramatic cotton strip-woven kpokpo weaving has a strong ‘Op Art’ design of vibrating black and off-white checkered squares divided by brocaded brown, white and black horizontal bands.
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torage baskets like the two shown here are known as ibikemanyi in Burundi. They were kept indoors on a shelf that encircled the huts, serving as both containers for grains, other substantial necessities and for decoration.
4 An Ibikemanyi Storage Basket Burundi, Tutsi people 58.50 x 24 cm An elongated stepped checkerboard design zig-zags its way up the sides and lid of this sturdy storage basket. Patterned lids are associated with baskets from Burundi.
5 An Ibikemanyi Storage Basket Burundi, Tutsi people 42.75 x 19.50 cm Attributing Tutsi basketry to Rwanda or Burundi is problematic due to the absence of reliable field research. Although this basket does not have a patterned lid, the similarity of design and structure with the other basket on this page attests to it coming from Burundi rather than Rwanda.
6 A Ceremonial Tunic & Headpiece made with fibre, porcupine quills and cowries Cameroon Grasslands 20th century 103 x 71cm Christa Clarke, former curator of Arts of Africa at the Newark Museum described in Power Dressing: Men’s fashion and Prestige in Africa the role of porcupine quill tunics: “Ceremonial dress in the kingdoms of the Cameroon Grasslands frequently incorporates animal motifs or even the organic parts of animals for their symbolic associations with royal power. Porcupine quills, an emblem of royal power as well as of protection, are worn by kings and other high-ranking notables throughout the region. A visually powerful tunic and hat are adorned with a multitude of porcupine quills that quiver with raw energy”.
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he basketry of the Tutsi people of Rwanda and Burundi is amongst the finest in Africa. Made from grass and thin strips of reed, the exquisitely made small basketry plates with their strong geometric designs, were woven by royal and aristocratic Tutsi women, in much the same way as European women of the leisured classes engaged in fine needlework and embroidery for centuries. The small plates illustrated here, known as agakoko, were made to be prestige gifts or heirlooms and showed the skills of the weaver.
7 An Agakoko Gift Plate Rwanda or Burundi, Tutsi people Diam. 18.50 cm While the design of most Tutsi weavings is precise, this example shows a charming curvilinear wonkiness. It has an undulating wave-like interpretation of what is more commonly a stricter, more geometric design.
Here we have two little gift plates with essentially the same design; one in black and the other in ochre. Both have vigorous reciprocal designs, the ochre example emphasizing the central axis of the plate while the black one shows a design emanating from the plate’s rim.
8 An Agakoko Gift Plate Rwanda or Burundi, Tutsi people Diam. 8.5 cm
9 An Agakoko Gift Plate Rwanda or Burundi, Tutsi people Diam. 15.25 cm
10 A Prestige Staff South Africa, Zulu people Late 19th century H. 89 cm Throughout Africa, staffs were carried by men as a symbol of authority and position, in much the same way as swagger sticks were used in the British army. This elegant and remarkably austere example is deeply carved with incised lines that have been blackened with poker-work to highlight the design. It was further embellished with a band of fine spiraling wirework.The glowing patina is a good sign of its age.
11 A Throwing Club Sudan, Dinka people H. 73.75 cm This sleek cylindrical club with ends that taper to a point, is minimally decorated with incised lines at one end. It would have been used as a throwing club to stun or kill a small animal. It is carved from a heavy wood and has a smooth warm patina.
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mall agaseke baskets are another type of finely woven prestige Tutsi basketry and are much loved by collectors. They display the skills of their makers and were used as containers for precious items, and given as tribute and gifts. They were often used in ceremonial exchanges associated with weddings.
12a An Ageseke Basket Rwanda or Burundi, Tutsi people 15.5 x 7.5 cm This basket has a complex double structure; the outer visible surface with the spiraling feathered design covers an inner structure with a similar but hidden design. Why baskets should be made in this way is unknown.
12b An Ageseke Basket Rwanda or Burundi, Tutsi people 12 x 6.5 cm This is an atypical ageseke basket as it does not have a coloured patterning and yet it is skillfully woven with a weave structure that creates subtle vertical lines.
12c An Ageseke Basket Rwanda or Burundi, Tutsi people 16 x 7 cm
13 A Southern African Headrest Possibly Zambia 16.5 x 16.5 cm Headrests with very similar basic structures have been used in Africa since the Pharaonic times. One of the primary uses of headrests was to protect elaborate coiffures from being crushed while sleeping. In Southern Africa they also served as “dream machines”; a vehicle to communicate with the ancestors while sleeping. Headrests were personal items, only used by its owner. The beauty and intricacy of their carving and design were signifiers of the owner’s cultural group and standing. This atypical example is difficult to attribute to a particular tribe or place.
14 A KwaZulu Headrest South Africa, Zulu people 14.5 x 28 cm This precisely carved wooden headrest has a simple yet powerful form. The curved head support, the two uprights and the sides of the base have all been embellished with bands of deeply incised triangles forming a repeating reciprocal design. A faint pencil inscription on the base reads “FROM MARITZBURG SA�. Maritzburg is often used as shorthand for Pietermaritzburg in the heart of KwaZulu province.
15 A Monumental Intago Terracotta Vessel Made by Twa potters for Tutsi people Burundi, Twa people First half of the 20th century 60 x 53 cm The Twa are a tribe, or caste, of Central African pygmy peoples who, amongst other services, made pottery for their Tutsi clients. This monumental terracotta intago pot is a masterpiece of coiled pottery. The making of such a perfectly shaped, round, coiled pot of this size is the work of a highly skilled and talented potter. Its body is exceptionally thin for a pot of this size – no more than 1.5 cm thick. It is modestly decorated on its shoulders with incised triangles made up of short scratches to the surface of the pot. A large area of the pot’s surface has a blackened Rorschach-like firing stain; pots like this were baked in an open “kiln” and firing stains are common on red terracotta pots throughout Africa. Given the delicacy of its construction it has been suggested that it was used for grains, instead of water or beer, as grains would be much lighter than a liquid, and thus put less strain on the pot’s refined structure. Such vessels were stored inside the home, covered with a basketry lid. Provenance: Alain Guisson, Brussels
16 An Anthropomorphic Flute Burkina Faso, Mossi people 20.25 x 6.25 cm This old and well used flute shows the abstract anthropomorphic form suggestive of a man with his hands on his hips. The body is decorated with incised lines and the end of the flute has a phallic form. This typically Mossi flute was played by blowing across the cavity at the top creating a tonal sound relating to native speech. It was an essential musical accompaniment to ceremonial occasions and mask performances. Provenance: Jacqueline Loudmer, France
17 A Carved Wooden “Gourd� Rattle Democatric Republic of Congo, Kuba people 24.5 x 11 cm This highly accomplished gourd shaped rattle is actually made from a solid chunk of a hardwood. There is a plug on the side which is where the inside was hollowed out and filled with small hard objects (seeds?) to make it into a rattle. Gourds were widely used by all classes, trasnformed into vessels, implements and many other utilitarian objects. The fact that the shape of a gourd was skillfully copied in wood suggests that it was a prestige item from a wealthy household.
18 An Omusisa Milk Pail with aluminium decoration and repairs Uganda, Hima people 22 x 20 cm This milk pail, made from the wood of the Omusisa tree has a rounded underside and sweeping convex sides which create a simple but elegant form. Aluminium has been applied to its surface to depict traditional identifying symbols, such as a crescent moon, and also to repair cracks. Historically, the Hima were a nomadic cattle herding tribe in southwest Uganda and milk was an important staple of their diet. Each milk pail was associated with, and contained the milk of, a specific cow. The milk pails were displayed on earth platforms in each hut.
19 A Labret or Lip-plug Ethiopia, Suri people 10.5 x 19 cm Labrets are traditional body adornments worn by women of the Suri tribe in Ethiopia. Upon reaching marriageable age a girl’s lower lip was slit, a plug inserted, with the size being gradually increased over time until the desired dimension was reached. Each young woman fashioned her own labret. This example, carved from a light wood, exhibits the traditional sweeping curved lines and is adorned with two protrusions suggesting breasts.
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poons (and ladles) were an important part of everyday life and the ritual preparation and serving of food. The elongated shape of the bowls of the two spoons shown here suggests that they were used for stirring and serving porridge, a staple of diets throughout Africa.
20 An Imiphini Wooden Spoon South Africa, Tsonga people 84 x 9 cm 21 An Imiphini Wooden Spoon South Africa, Tsonga people 59.75 x 6.25 cm
22 An Ornate Prestige Beer Tankard Made by the artist Muhlati Mozambique, Tsonga people Late 19th century Carved and poker-worked wood 22.50 x 21.5 cm It is most unusual to be able to attribute a domestic item, such as this tankard, to a known carver. The shape of the vessel and the distinctive style of the decoration, establishes it as the work of Muhlati. He was a noted carver who was active in the colonial Lourenรงo Marques (now Maputo) in Portuguese East Africa (now Mozambique) in the late 19th century. Muhlati is best known for his figural carvings, bowls and tankards. The cup of this tankard matches closely the style and shape of his other bowls. Here, the cup has been embellished with an extravagant handle. The shape of this beer tankard suggests the influence of European analogues.
23 An Ugqoko Meat Platter With hallmarked silver rim, 1907, Edinburgh, Brook & Son South Africa, Zulu people 14 x 34 cm This beautifully carved ugqoko, a fine Zulu meat platter with its intriguing hallmarked silver rim has led us to speculate whether it had been perhaps brought from South Africa to Scotland by a soldier who took part in the Second Boer War (1899-1902). At least six Scottish regiments were involved in that war. In any event, it must have been treasured by the individual who had the silver band attached to its rim. It is an unusual shape for a meat platter which are usually more elongated and flat. However there is a strikingly similar meat platter (inv. MA, 88/532) in the Museum Africa in Johannesburg, which has a silver tag [sic] attached to its base, inscribed as follows; “Meat dish belonging to Cetawayo the Zulu King taken by men of Lonsdales Horse from his Kraal at Ulundi, 1879 brought home by T.F. Kinnersley, Lieut. Lonsdales Horse� The outside of the bowl is embellished with the distinctive Zulu motif, the truncated square pyramid known as amasumpa. Before being used the kraal’s meat platters were propped against an outside wall, with the underside of the platters facing outwards and thus identifiable to their owners by the individual patterns made by the amasumpa.
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oven fibre pieces of every kind could be said to be synonymous with the daily life of tribal people within the Tropics and beyond. They were made as floor coverings, seating, walls, sleeping mats, costume and even currency to name but a few of their uses. These robustly woven panels, with their distinctive fluffy underside, are something of a mystery, as we have been unable to find anything quite like them in the literature or in public and private institutions. They have bold geometric designs that relate to baskets woven in regions around the Great Lakes of Central Africa and also the fibre textiles of the Kuba Kingdom in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is a vast region with a long tradition and mastery of woven fibre, which fulfill a wide variety of functions.
24 A Woven Fibre Panel with bands of reciprocal triangles Central Africa 141 x 36 cm
25 A Woven Fibre Panel with an interplay of variously coloured triangles Central Africa 135 x 37 cm 26 A Woven Fibre Panel with a design recalling Kuba textiles Central Africa 137 x 36 cm
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ourds (Lagenaria siceraria) are believed to have originated in Southern Africa and were domesticated and cultivated by mankind since the very beginnings of agriculture - and the primary
reason for their doing so, was their usefulness as water containers. Many tribes had specialist gourd growers who raised a variety of gourds each type chosen to make a specific utensil. They were experts at growing gourds of a particular shape and knowing how to dry and polish them for use. Tutsi gourd growers were especially adept at creating elegant, perfectly shaped gourds, polished to a rich honey coloured sheen. These were so highly regarded that they were repaired when they cracked.
27 An Embellished Gourd with a basketry neck Rwanda or Burundi, Tutsi people 20.25 x 14 cm This delightful embellished gourd has been incised and then scorched with a typically Tutsi zig-zag pattern. A fine basketry neck was attached to the body of the gourd as a neck and spout.
28 A Large Milk Gourd with a native fibre repair Rwanda or Burundi, Tutsi people 41 x 31 cm This is a supreme example of a rare and beautifully shaped Tutsi gourd with its expertly executed stitched repair which adds to its desirability.
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gourd (on the left) and a terracotta clay pot on the right. One is grown, the other made by an accomplished potter. It is an excellent illustration of how potters made vessels that emulated the shapes of gourds. In the 1950s, anthropologist and curator Margaret Trowell noted that Nyoro artists: “take special pride in the appearance of their gourds, and although they rarely decorate them, rejoice in the most perfectly shaped vessel polished to a rich red-brown�.
29 A Fine Gourd Rwanda or Burundi, Tutsi people 22.5 x 15 cm This particular vessel has an elegant balanced form and would have been used for drinking milk or beer. 30 A Terracotta Pot Rwanda or Uganda, Nyoro people 21 x 18 cm This outstanding pot is almost identical to another one in the Metropolitan Museum, New York (inv. 2013.1140.7)
31 A Kpokpo Strip-Woven Wearing Blanket Sierra Leone Late 19th to early 20th century 240 x 122 cm This fine textile is hand-woven of handspun cotton thread. It was woven in broad strips and accented with supplemental weft brocading. The palette is two shades of indigo and natural white (actually a light cream). Given its unusally small size, it could have been used as a wearing blanket by a woman of high status.
32 A Finely Carved Wooden Quiver Tanzania, Karagwe Kingdom Before 1918 95.25 x 13.5 cm The Karagwe Kingdom in North Western Tanzania between Rwanda and Lake Victoria was one of many Great Lakes kingdoms of the 19th century. It rose to prominence in the early 19th century under the rulership of King Ndagara until 1853. The sweeping curve of this rare and old wooden quiver gives it a strong sculptural presence. It has a deep dark patina and is decorated with a bold geometric design. It contains four of its original arrows. It would have been carried by a man of consequence as most quivers were of undecorated bamboo. It closely resembles a quiver published in The Victoria Nyanza: The Land, the Races and their Customs, with Specimens of some of the Dialects, London, 1899, pp.57, where it is described as follows: “I also received a piece of Karagwe-work in the shape of an eminently beautiful quiver, from Sultan Ruhiga in German Buddu. This is 3 1/2 feet long, made of black wood, and scratched with various triangular and linear ornamentations�. The quality of the craftsmanship, its extensively carved and poker-worked decoration and the surface patina suggest that this quiver was made prior to 1918 (end of WWI) before which Tanzania was part of German East Africa. It has on old unreadable German collection label.
33 A Three Legged Stool Zambia 26 x 27 cm The elegant form of this round stool is carved from a single block of wood. The adze marks on the seat are done in concentric rings with three unusual legs supporting the top part. Both the flat sides of the seat and the outer side of the legs have a design of incised straight grooves and poker-work. It is a rare form of stool that is associated with the Zambian region but not to a particular tribe.
34 A Pair of Ostrich Eggshell Containers with leather and basketry neck Somalia 21.75 x 12.75 cm Such containers are a perfect example of making use of what is to hand. The contents of the large egg would be a meal for several people. Then the eggs would be made into an efficient water vessel by attaching a basketry and leather neck with stopper (one missing). They were sometimes buried for use at a later date, perhaps after returning from a hunting expedition. The use of ostrich eggs was widespread in many parts of Africa especially by the Koi-san bushmen of the Kalahari. These containers were traded, as similar examples were collected in the 19th century in Cameroon and in the early 20th in Somalia.
35 A Basketry Protective Hood Uganda, Lugbara people 51 x 20.25 cm Lugbara women carried their babies strapped to their backs while they worked. Here we have a marvelous example of form following function, as the hood was worn by the mother but extended over the head of the baby on her back protecting it from the strong equatorial sun and rain.
36 A High Status Beaded Headpiece Cameroon Grasslands, Bamileke Kingdom 34.25 x 20.25 cm This tall headpiece has a basketry base covered with red European cotton tradecloth, onto which coloured beads have been sewn creating a bold diamond lattice. With its imposing size and crowned with cowrie shells, it is clearly a headpiece for a chief or local king. Prestige headpieces such as this one were worn on ceremonial occasions or for the gatherings of male associations. Designs, dimensions and forms of head coverings were controlled by the king and were indicative of status and position.
37 A Vegetal Form Terracotta Pot Democratic Republic of Congo 25.50 x 20.25 cm The shape of this beautifully formed pot is atypical of central African pottery and we have been unable to find a single similar example. The form mimics a melon or pod of some kind. It has been hand formed with great skill and shows the imagination and artistry of the potter.
38 A Tutsi Basketry Bowl or Lid Rwanda or Burundi, Tutsi people 7.5 x 20.25 cm There is field evidence that suggests that this piece of basketry could have been used as a bowl, or inverted, to be used as the lid of a large vessel. Its dynamic design has a strong sense of spiral movement, so typical of Tutsi design.
Acknowledgements: We would like to thank Isabel Ettedgui for giving us the opportunity to exhibit at Connolly. It was her vision and enthusiasm that made this show possible. We also thank Eric Dieumegard for his assistance in all aspects of this venture, Hugo Ross for public relations and publicity, and Bobby Marcuson for his advice and help with the printing of this catalogue. Special thanks must also go to Françoise Barrier for the design and production (under duress) of this catalogue.
This limited edition is published by Connolly of London and Marcuson & Hall of Brussels for the exhibition The Art of Daily Life at Connolly of Clifford Street, London, from May 14th until mid-August, 2019. Text: Alan Marcuson & Diane Hall Layout & Production: Françoise Barrier Photographs: Alan Marcuson & Hughes Dubois (2, 31) © Connolly and Marcuson & Hall, May 2019
Connolly 4 Clifford Street W1S 2LG London +44(0)20 7952 6708 shop@connollyengland.com Marcuson & Hall Rue Tenbosch 13 1000 Brussels +32(0)473 344 715 alan@marcusonandhall.com