The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 13, 2025

Pot

1900s

Southern Africa, South Africa, Zulu-style potter

Terracotta
Overall: 26.7 x 25.4 cm (10 1/2 x 10 in.)
Gift of Bernie and Sue Pucker in memory of Robert P. Bergman 1999.192
Location: Not on view

Description

Within the Zulu culture (the Northern Nguni tribe), the making of beer pots is the traditional function of women. A potter will travel far searching in riverbeds or for anthills that can supply the correct clay for the vessels. Formed using the coil technique and smoothed using flattened stones, the pots are fired in a dug-out earthen "kiln," and covered with palm leaves, whose oil results in the blackened, shiny texture of the vessels. Years of use deepen this texture to a rich woody patina.
  • Cleveland Museum of Art, “Mrs. Paul Wurzburger Donates Major Calder Mobile to Cleveland Museum of Art, Korean Painting, Japanese Ceramic, Italian Drawing and other Works Acquired” September 8, 1999, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
    Smith, Fred T., Judith Perani, Joseph L. Underwood, and Martha J. Ehrlich. The Visual Arts of Africa : Gender, Power, and Life Cycle Rituals. Second edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2022. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 342, no. 12.4
  • {{cite web|title=Pot|url=false|author=|year=1900s|access-date=13 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1999.192