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Narrative

Purchased by the collector in Abidjan, although the maker lived near Bouake.

Iconographic Meaning

In Baule works, frequently used motifs of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles are representations of specific proverbs. The three birds on the lid (part b) may correspond to proverbs celebrating and encouraging social unity and cohesion. However, multiple proverbs may be attributed to a single motif; additionally, motifs and their potential meaning are often subject to the intent of the artist and demands of the patron and the meanings are not always universal.

Description

Red clay vessel (part a) with a lid (part b). Pot has three impressed, textured panels around the upper sides. They consist of fifteen to seventeen horizontal bands that have incised vertical lines within, ending in seven to eight knobs at either end. In between these panels, there is an upward facing bird. The lid has three birds ranged around the sides with an incised tree-like form in between.

History Of Use

Water or palm wine vessels were often elaborately decorated, showcasing popular styles in order to grab attention and to demonstrate the owner’s taste and aesthetic discrimination. These kinds of standardized and common utilitarian objects were often sold ready-made by artists rather than sold as commission-based individual works. Following Cote d’Ivoire’s independence from colonial French rule in 1960, Baule visual culture persisted in the art trade market with the establishment of four major art market centres in Abidjan, Bouaké, Korhogo, and Man. In the last quarter of the 20th century, locally made utilitarian objects were replaced with machine-made objects from outside of villages. They were favoured for their association with money and modernity.