Large pot with flaring midsection and tapering shoulder; decorated with incised textured half-circles below mouth and band of leaf-like shapes alternating with 4 triangles between 3 textured bands

Beer pot, mid 20th century

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Anonymous gift of fundsexpand_more  99.115.1

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Among the Zulu peoples, home-brewed sorghum beer is the preferred food of the ancestors. Beer drinking is an indispensable part of communal celebrations of life’s milestones, including birth, marriage, and death. Pots for serving and drinking beer are embellished with textured patterns, some of which are figurative, and then blackened in a smoky reduction firing of grass or dung. Blackening attracts the ancestors, whose presence and blessing are desired.

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Zulu, Beer Pot (#411)
Details
Title
Beer pot
Role
Artist
Accession Number
99.115.1
Curator Approved

This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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Large pot with flaring midsection and tapering shoulder; decorated with incised textured half-circles below mouth and band of leaf-like shapes alternating with 4 triangles between 3 textured bands

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