The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 16, 2024

Container

Container

c. 1920
Wood, paint, and iron alloy
Overall: 45.7 cm (18 in.)
Gift of Katherine C. White 1974.208
Location: 108A Sub-Saharan

Did You Know?

Yorùbá language distinguishes between "artist" and "carver" based on the object someone is making.

Description

Boxes carved into animal shapes, like this goose, held kolanuts. A source of caffeine, the kolanut seed is harvested from evergreen tree fruits. Guests to Yorùbá homes are offered the bitter nuts as a sign of hospitality; sometimes nut-filled boxes are placed on shrines. As birds are used as sacrifices, this box can be seen as a double offering of both fowl and fruit. The carver shaped and painted this waterfowl with great detail: rimmed eyes, alternating feather colors, and jointed legs ending in three-toed feet. According to a Cleveland Museum of Natural History ornithologist, these details suggest an Egyptian goose.
  • ?–1961
    Julius Carlebach, New York
    1961–1974
    Katherine C. White [1929-1980], Gates Mills, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1974–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    Provenance Footnotes
    1 Memorandum from William D. Wixom to Ursula Korneitchouk and Del Gutridge. 12/18/74. CMA Archives
  • Kathman, Barbara A. A Cleveland Bestiary. Cleveland, OH; Cleveland Museum of Art, 1981. Reproduced: p. 54; Mentioned: p. 51, p. 62
    Provenance Footnotes
    1 Memorandum from William D. Wixom to Ursula Korneitchouk and Del Gutridge. 12/18/74. CMA Archives
  • Arts of Africa: Gallery Rotation (African art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (December 10, 2021-July 2, 2023).
    At Home in Africa: Design, Beauty and Pleasing Irregularity in Domestic Settings. The Galleries at Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-October 4, 2014).
    The Galleries at Cleveland State, OH (8/27/2014 - 10/4/2014): "At Home in Africa: Design, Beauty and Pleasing Irregularity in Domestic Settings", cat. no. 13-1, p. 216.
    A Cleveland Bestiary. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 15-December 16, 1981).
    CMA 1981: A Cleveland Bestiary, cat. no. 49, repr. p. 54.
    CMA 1975: "Year in Review 1974," CMA Bulletin LXII (March, 1975), p. 97, no. 20.
    CMA 1968: "African Tribal Images: The Katherine White Reswick Collection," cat. no. 136, repr.
    Provenance Footnotes
    1 Memorandum from William D. Wixom to Ursula Korneitchouk and Del Gutridge. 12/18/74. CMA Archives
  • {{cite web|title=Container|url=false|author=|year=c. 1920|access-date=16 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
    Provenance Footnotes
    1 Memorandum from William D. Wixom to Ursula Korneitchouk and Del Gutridge. 12/18/74. CMA Archives

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1974.208