Object Details
- Label Text
- A great variety of wood pipes are found in the southeastern region of South Africa, particularly in the Transkei, and can generally be attributed to the Xhosa peoples. Often carved in the form of animals, humans or vehicles with spoked wheels, these pipes are given as wedding presents or as gifts to maintain social or kinship ties. They can become prized family heirlooms passed down from one generation to the next and are only used on special occasions.
- This example has the intriguing (though unproven) provenance that it was owned by the Zulu warrior king Cetshwayo, who supposedly received it at the Battle of Isandhlwana on January 22, 1879.
- Description
- Wood pipe with hollow egg shaped bowl lined with iron and with exterior inlaid with white metal circles. The short stem ends in a globular mouthpiece.
- Provenance
- Michael Graham-Stewart, London, -- to 1989
- Exhibition History
- Art of the Personal Object, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., September 24, 1991-April 9, 2007
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Data Source
- National Museum of African Art
- Maker
- Undetermined artist
- Date
- Early-late 19th century
- Credit Line
- Acquisition grant from the James Smithson Society
- Medium
- Wood, white metal, iron
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 6.4 x 3.5 x 16.5 cm (2 1/2 x 1 3/8 x 6 1/2 in.)
- Type
- Sculpture
