Zande bowl
Other views of this artifact:
Accession Number:
1948.2.136
Country:
Sudan
Region:
[Southern Sudan]
Cultural Group:
Zande
Date Made:
By 1930
Materials:
Wood Plant , Bark Fibre Plant
Process:
Carved , Decorated , Incised , Incised , Stained , Polished Knotted
Dimensions:
Ht = 176, rim ext. = 198 x 203, rim int. = 170 x 182, total W across handles = 297; foot diam = 65.3, base diam = 122 x 117; handle ht = 116.5, W = 51.3; carrying loop W = 4.3, th = 0.2 mm [RTS 13/5/2005].
Weight:
547.9 g
Other Owners:
Probably collected by Evans-Pritchard himself during his fieldwork amongst the Zande, which took place during 1927, part of 1928 and 1929 and for several months during 1930 [CM; RTS 6/7/2004].
Field Collector:
Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard
PRM Source:
Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard
Acquired:
Found unentered February 1948
Collected Date:
1927 - 1930
Description:
Small bowl carved from a single block of wood and consisting of a narrow flat-topped slightly inturned rim on a deep hemispherical body, with 2 broad flat areas shaved horizontally around the upper part to create a double carination before the sides curve down and convexly in to a short, flaring trumpet-shaped foot with slightly concave underside.
Two solid lug handles extend from either side of the rim, with flat, trapezoidal-shaped upper surfaces, short irregular facets on the sides and front below, then long flat planes that extend down the walls of the bowl body, one on either side and 2 down the front with a sharp carination line between.
These handles gradually taper in towards their bases, and each has a circular depression bored into its top surface, perhaps related to the way the vessel mouth was sealed.
The bowl also has a separate carrying strap made from a narrow strip of bark fibre, looped around the base of each lug handle and tied in a knot at the top, with a single strand then extending across the mouth of the vessel to form a loop.
The wood is a yellowish brown colour (Pantone 7508C), that has been stained a dark brownish black (Pantone black 7C) everywhere except the bowl interior and base underside, further embellished with incised decoration. This consists of a series of small semicircular lines cut around the mouth, on the flat upper rim edge, and 2 crosshatched rectangles where the handles meet the rim, while the upper handle surfaces have 2 hatched semicircles facing one another, with an additional hatched semicircle directly below. The upper part of the body is also decorated on one side of the vessel only, with a series of running diamonds made up of double lines. Finally, the upper surface of the splaying foot has been decorated with 3 groups of parallel grooves, that run from the top of the foot to its outer edge. The object is complete and intact, although the surface of the bark loop is beginning to break up into its component fibres. It has a weight of 547.9 grams, and is 176 mm high. The rim exterior measures 198 by 203 mm across, with a total width of 297 mm including the handles, while the mouth is 170 by 182 mm in diameter. The foot has a diameter of 65.3 mm and the base measures 122 by 117 mm, while the handles are 116.5 mm long and 51.3 mm wide. The carrying loop is 4.3 mm wide and 0.2 mm thick.
Collected by Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard during his fieldwork amongst the Zande, which took place during 1927, part of 1928 and 1929 and for several months during 1930.
Wooden bowls and stools were carved by specialist craftsmen from several species of green timber, probably during the dry season, and were used by the people form whom they were acquired. The black staining and polishing was done by the owners themselves.
The grooved foot decoration seen on this object also appears on a range of Zande stools, such as 1948.2.138, 1948.2.139 and 1970.38.10, while the faceted hemispherical body also appears on other Zande bowls, such as 1966.25.1.
Rachael Sparks 18/9/2005.
The wood is a yellowish brown colour (Pantone 7508C), that has been stained a dark brownish black (Pantone black 7C) everywhere except the bowl interior and base underside, further embellished with incised decoration. This consists of a series of small semicircular lines cut around the mouth, on the flat upper rim edge, and 2 crosshatched rectangles where the handles meet the rim, while the upper handle surfaces have 2 hatched semicircles facing one another, with an additional hatched semicircle directly below. The upper part of the body is also decorated on one side of the vessel only, with a series of running diamonds made up of double lines. Finally, the upper surface of the splaying foot has been decorated with 3 groups of parallel grooves, that run from the top of the foot to its outer edge. The object is complete and intact, although the surface of the bark loop is beginning to break up into its component fibres. It has a weight of 547.9 grams, and is 176 mm high. The rim exterior measures 198 by 203 mm across, with a total width of 297 mm including the handles, while the mouth is 170 by 182 mm in diameter. The foot has a diameter of 65.3 mm and the base measures 122 by 117 mm, while the handles are 116.5 mm long and 51.3 mm wide. The carrying loop is 4.3 mm wide and 0.2 mm thick.
Collected by Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard during his fieldwork amongst the Zande, which took place during 1927, part of 1928 and 1929 and for several months during 1930.
Wooden bowls and stools were carved by specialist craftsmen from several species of green timber, probably during the dry season, and were used by the people form whom they were acquired. The black staining and polishing was done by the owners themselves.
The grooved foot decoration seen on this object also appears on a range of Zande stools, such as 1948.2.138, 1948.2.139 and 1970.38.10, while the faceted hemispherical body also appears on other Zande bowls, such as 1966.25.1.
Rachael Sparks 18/9/2005.
Primary Documentation:
Accession Book Entry
[p.
264] - E.
E.
EVANS-PRITCHARD, INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY, OXFORD.
Found unentered; collected by donor.
[p, 265] 1948.2.136 - ZANDE.
Globular wooden bowl on small pedestal base.
Criss-cross pattern cut on rim.
[p.
266] 6" high, 8" across the top.
Projecting handles, with fibre carrying loop remaining.
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the catalogue card [RTS 2/2/2004].
Pitt Rivers Museum label - AFRICA, Sudan, Zande. Deep wooden bowl with lug handles, short foot and fibre carrying loop. Decorated rim. Coll. E.E. Evans-Pritchard. 1948.2.136 [plastic coated label, tied to object; RTS 9/4/2005].
Written on object - Zande [pencil, base underside]; Zande [pencil, inside bowl]; ZANDE. 1948.2.136. d.d. EVANS-PRITCHARD [ink, base underside; RTS 9/4/2005].
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the catalogue card [RTS 2/2/2004].
Pitt Rivers Museum label - AFRICA, Sudan, Zande. Deep wooden bowl with lug handles, short foot and fibre carrying loop. Decorated rim. Coll. E.E. Evans-Pritchard. 1948.2.136 [plastic coated label, tied to object; RTS 9/4/2005].
Written on object - Zande [pencil, base underside]; Zande [pencil, inside bowl]; ZANDE. 1948.2.136. d.d. EVANS-PRITCHARD [ink, base underside; RTS 9/4/2005].
