Vessel with Stylized Spider Motif

20th century

Not on view

This mid-sized vessel was probably used either as a man's wash basin or a serving bowl. Possibly created in Babessi, on the Ndop Plain, a center of ceramic production extensively studied by anthropologist and curator Silvia Forni, such vessels might have originally held ritual significance. Today, their meaning has been broadened to take on a wider range of meaning as symbols of a greater social identity. The stylized spider motif represents a house-spider and is associated with notions of generosity.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Vessel with Stylized Spider Motif
Date: 20th century
Geography: Cameroon, Grassfields Region
Culture: Bamileke or Bamum
Medium: Terracotta
Dimensions: H. 8 in. (20.3 cm)
Classification: Ceramics-Vessels
Credit Line: Gift of Eve Glasberg and Amyas Naegele, 2013
Object Number: 2013.1140.6
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

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