Artwork Page for Carved Tooth

Details / Information for Carved Tooth

Carved Tooth

late 1800s

Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cabinda, or Republic of the Congo, probably Vili-style maker

Medium
Hippopotamus ivory and organic material
Measurements
Overall: 33 cm (13 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Charles E. Roseman 1969.137
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

Spiral motifs have been found on Kongo Kingdom ivory carvings since at least the 1500s.

Description

This is a fine example of art produced for sale to European visitors in the Lower Congo River area. A long history of cultural and artistic interactions between Africans and Europeans began in 1482, when the Portuguese first established diplomatic ties with the rulers of the Kongo kingdoms. Note the image of a foreign merchant pouring whiskey from a keg.
A cream-colored hippopotamus ivory tusk forms a tapering arch, curving from a thick, squared base on our left to a point on our right. Dark, vine-like lines segment the surface into panels of shallow relief. Within these, small, stylized figures crouch near a spotted animal or stand and kneel while carrying bundles. Dark organic material fills the branched lines, framing the dense, narrative scenes that wrap across the ivory's surface.

Carved Tooth

late 1800s

Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cabinda, or Republic of the Congo, probably Vili-style maker

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