Bowl

Object Details

Label Text

Northeastern Nigeria and parts of Chad are centers for the production of elaborately decorated gourds that are used by women as household storage containers and food and beverage bowls. A woman usually owns a series of gourds, from small cups to serving pieces to large storage bowls.

The maker, usually a woman, typically uses the entire surface for the design, centering the pattern on the bottom of the bowl. The techniques used on the exterior of these bowls include pyroengraving, which involves burning lines into the surface with a heated blade, and pressure engraving, a method of carving with a cold knife or other instrument and blackening with soot.

Description

Pyroengraved gourd bowl with central, hatched circular design surrounded by negative space petal-shapes. The lip is decorated with parallel lines.

Provenance

Ellen Patterson Brown, Chevy Chase, Maryland, collected in Chad, 1971-1973 to 1994

Content Statement

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Data Source

National Museum of African Art

Maker

Sara-Nar artist

Date

ca. 1970-1973

Credit Line

Gift of Ellen Patterson Brown

Medium

Gourd

Dimensions

H x W x D: 9.0 x 16.8 x 14.7 cm (3 9/16 x 6 5/8 x 5 13/16 in.)

Type

Sculpture