Object Details
- Label Text
- The Tuareg and Moors drink green tea flavored with herbs and sweetened with sugar. Tea glasses and sugar hammers, once used for breaking up sugar loaves, are part of the daily tea rituals. The Tuareg and Moors keep their tea glasses in leather bags or protective metal boxes. The boxes have compartments made of wood and lined with leather for three or more glasses. The outside of the boxes are decorated with copper, brass or silver embellishments.
- This small, oval case is decorated with silver and punched motifs that reflect Mauritanian influence. The engravings are typical Tuareg designs. The triangular motifs on the top of this box, a sign of protection, are also found on Tuareg tent screens, mats and leatherwork.
- Description
- Oval shapedbox to hold tea glasses with copper and silver pieces in the shapes of ovals, diamonds, triangles and cones that are engraved with motifs. The border of the box is rimmed with copper and silver tacks.
- Provenance
- Private European collection, collected Niger or Mali, 1959-1971 to 1993
- Exhibition History
- Art from the Forge, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., September 6, 1995-January 2, 1996
- 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 Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks.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
- Moor artist
- Date
- Early to mid-20th century
- Credit Line
- Museum purchase and gift of Mrs. Florence Selden in memory of Carl L. Selden
- Medium
- Brass, copper, silver, wood, leather
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 9.7 x 27.3 x 11.7 cm (3 13/16 x 10 3/4 x 4 5/8 in.)
- Type
- Sculpture
