Zande bowl
Other views of this artifact:
Accession Number:
1934.8.133
Country:
Sudan
Region:
[Southern Sudan?] Western Equatoria ?Li Rangu [?Dingba ?Yambio ?Tambura]
Cultural Group:
Zande
Maker:
Probably Mbitim.
Date Made:
By 1933
Materials:
Pottery
Process:
Handbuilt , Modelled , Fire-Hardened , Decorated , Impressed , Incised
Dimensions:
Ht = 106, rim diam ext. = 230, rim diam int. = 200, head L = 52.3, W = 47, foot L = 78 mm [RTS 20/6/2005].
Weight:
>1000 g
Other Owners:
Collected by Percy Horace Gordon Powell-Cotton and his wife between 27th and 29th April 1933 during a shooting expedition
Field Collector:
Percy Horace Gordon Powell-Cotton & Hannah Powell-Cotton (nee Brayton)
PRM Source:
Percy Horace Gordon Powell-Cotton
Acquired:
Donated 1934
Collected Date:
27th to 29th April 1933
Description:
Shallow, circular bowl or plate, hand made from a moderately well levigated clay with small to large gold mica inclusions, fired a mottled pinkish brown and black at the surface (Pantone 4725C and 440C) and a lighter pink at the core (Pantone 7514C).
This consists of a narrow flat topped rim, with a slightly bevelled inner edge and shallow concave walls sloping down to a flat centre.
The outside edge of the rim has been flattened to form a broad collar, offset from convex walls that slope down and in to a raised foot, shaped as a solid, six-leaf rosette.
The interior has been decorated with six flat raised strips of clay, radiating down from the rim to near the centre, where they meet a flat low relief disc.
At the end of each strip, a human head has been modelled in clay, attached to the upper surface of the rim at its neck and looking inwards and upwards.
Each head depicts a young Zande boy, with simple hairstyle parted in the centre, with lentoid shaped eyes, a short nose and modelled lips, chin and ears standing out from the sides of the head.
Incised details mark the hair, eyebrows and lips, with impressed dots marking the nostrils, and impressed lines or dashes representing facial scarring.
There are 2 variant types of scarring; groups of three rows of dots running down either cheek to the corner of the mouth, or groups of parallel lines running vertically down from the base of each eye, with horizontal lines below.
On two of the heads, which are positioned opposite each other on the rim, there is an additional set of parallel lines running round the back of the head.
The exterior face of the bowl has been decorated with six rounded ribs, each running down from the back of each head to the spaces between the rosette petals of the foot.
The vessel has also been covered with various incised lines and impressed dots.
On the bowl interior, each of the raised ribs has an incised ladder pattern running down its length, and is framed on the flat surface on either side of each rib with a row of impressed dots.
The space between the base of each of these ribs has been decorated with triangles, each crowned by a group of three dots at its apex and with a row of dots running down its centre.
Incised hatching angles off from this centre line, to fill the interior of the triangle, while its sides are made from hatched bands.
The raised disc at the centre of the bowl interior has also been decorated, with a circular depression at its centre, then around this, a series of concentric lines.
Some of these have been filled in to make thicker decorative bands, comprising 2 bands of rough crosshatching, with a band of zigzags between.
The flat upper surface of the rim has been decorated with a rectangular motif in the space between each head, comprising three groups of crosshatching, and three groups of framed x-shaped crosses made out of double lines.
The flat outer edge of the rim was then decorated with a band of crosshatching, that runs completely around the surface, including across the 'neck' of each head, with the surface of the bowl swelling out at those points.
On the bowl exterior, each of the raised ribs has been framed by impressed dots on either side, with another row of dots running down its centre line.
These vary from large dots that are widely spaced, to smaller and more closely spaced dots, or a combination of the two, with oblique hatching covering the remaining surface of the rib on either side of this line.
The surface of the bowl lies recessed between each rib as a wedge-shaped area; this has been delineated by 3 rows of large dots around the perimeter, with a line of closely-spaced square impressed marks running along their inside edges, and turning up at the base in a ^ shape, to accommodate the petal-shaped spurs of the foot which extend into this area.
There is a further band of impressed dots with these square impressed borders running down the centre of each 'wedge', while the remaining surface area has been filled with a widely spaced band of crosshatching, composed of similar square impressions.
Finally, the rosette-shaped foot has been decorated on its underside with a continuous incised line that flows around its petals, creating a six-pointed star at the centre point.
The bowl is essentially complete, but has some surface chips missing and has been broken in the past, with four of the six heads having been detached and mended at various times, along with one of the outer ribs.
It has a weight in excess of 1000 grams, and is 106 mm high, with a rim diameter of 230 mm, not including the heads, and a mouth diameter of 200 mm; each head is approximately 52.3 mm long and 47 mm wide, while the foot is 78 mm long.
This object was obtained by Percy Horace Gordon Powell-Cotton and his wife Hannah between 27th and 29th April 1933 during a shooting expedition in the Southern Sudan; museum records do not indicate specifically where this was obtained, but they were collecting material from Li Rangu, Dinga, Yambio and the road to Tambura during this period. The most likely location is Li Rangu, where a Zande potter called Mbitim was producing vessels in this style. Powell-Cotton visited Mbitim's workshop on April 28th, collecting raw samples of clay, some of his tools (see 1934.8.132) and several examples of his work. This is thought to belong to that group because of its cultural provenance, and its stylistic similarity to vessels elsewhere that are known to have been made by Mbitim at that time, such as those now in the Cleveland Museum of Art (1996.301-302) and the British Museum (1934.3-8.27). For other Zande bowls in the Pitt Rivers Museum made in similar style and using the same type of clay, see 1930.86.42-44 and 1931.66.2-3 (making use of similar square and dot impressed marks and applied ribbing); for anthropomorphic jars in the same fabric, see 1934.8.134 and 1950.12.117-118; for bookends in the same style, see 1934.8.135 (in which the modelling of the head is very similar to this piece) and 1996.53.1.
Powell-Cotton filmed Mbitim in action, with Hannah Powell-Cotton commenting: "'Mbitim', was an artist of exceptional skill and originality. His pots, jars and dishes were of varied and beautiful form, many decorated with Zande heads and figures, each one distinct, true to type and with its own definite personality. He worked swiftly with his fingers, and a split wood spatula; the only other tools were an achatina shell for the nostrils, and a fragment of gourd. The clay was very light in colour. This man's services are now pledged to the Sleeping Sickness Station at Lirangu, where he is encouraged to make book-ends and other objects of European design, but his work still remains individual" (Mrs Powell Cotton, "Village Handicrafts in the Sudan", Man 34 (112), pp 90-91). Others have commented on how Li Rangu had developed as a centre for foreign contact in the region (N. Barley, 1994, Smashing Pots, p. 144) .
Larken discusses Zande customs regarding the collection and working of clay. Clay is usually found on the banks of a stream, and prepared by pounding it in a mortar before shaping it by hand. Tools are limited to pieces of gourd or a rounded pebble for smoothing; decoration is applied by something simple, such as a short stick bound with cord. He describes two kinds of vessels that are made, one with a low collar around the mouth, and another with a bow-shaped neck (see 1931.66.2-3). The smaller pots are said to be used for cooking meat, the larger ones for water or making bakinde; other pots are for brewing beer, while long-necked varieties are used for washing the face and hands - this last type may have a head adorning the neck. Each type has its own Zande name. Decoration often covers the whole surface. Larken goes on to describe the firing and finishing: "When dry, pots are turned upside down and baked in the open, only certain kinds of wood being suitable for the fire. While still red-hot, they are splashed with water in which bark of the ndili tree has been soaked, in order to blacken them. A black polish is sometimes given to the smooth surfaces, by means of graphite grains, which are mixed with water and a little powdered ironstone, painted on the clay and gently but continually rubbed into it with a polishing-pebble before the pot is fired". The resulting vessel is not very strong, and only slightly porous, if at all; broad leaves may be used for a lid, if required (P.M. Larken, 1927, "Impressions of the Azande", Sudan Notes and Records X, pp 129-131). According to Evans-Pritchard, all Zande potters were male (Evans-Pritchard 1971, The Azande, p. 95).
Another characteristic of Zande pottery is that it is frequently mixed with small flecks of mica, which naturally occurs in beds throughout the region, known as hilidiwe, meaning 'slough of the moon' (P.M. Larken, 1926, "An Account of the Zande", Sudan Notes and Records IX no. 1, p. 4). Schweinfurth noted the presence of mica in both Bongo and Zande pottery, which he suggested made their wares very brittle. He believed this mix to be naturally occurring and that potters did not know how to remove it from their fabrics: "... [Zande potters] have no idea of the method of giving their clay a proper consistency by washing out the particles of mica and by adding a small quantity of sand" (G. Schweinfurth, 1873, In the Heart of Africa Volume I, p. 292; Volume II, p. 25). This mica may well have been left in the clay deliberately, as it gives the vessels an attractive sparkle, and does not seem to have impaired the plasticity of the material, as the detailed modelling of several Zande vessels demonstrates.
According to Larken, Zande men and women both practised cicatrisation, but 'the face is usually not touched, except where an individual has come into contact with Arabs and copied their habit in this direction (P.M. Larken, 1926, "An Account of the Zande", Sudan Notes and Records IX no. 1, p. 31)'. This practice may have become more widespread since Larken's time, however, as most of the modelled human figures made by Mbitim (1996.53.1, 1934.8.133-135, 1950.12.117, 1928.67.4), or Zande woodcarvers (1928.67.4, 1932.30.14-15) are depicted with this kind of facial scarring.
Rachael Sparks 24/8/2005.
This object was obtained by Percy Horace Gordon Powell-Cotton and his wife Hannah between 27th and 29th April 1933 during a shooting expedition in the Southern Sudan; museum records do not indicate specifically where this was obtained, but they were collecting material from Li Rangu, Dinga, Yambio and the road to Tambura during this period. The most likely location is Li Rangu, where a Zande potter called Mbitim was producing vessels in this style. Powell-Cotton visited Mbitim's workshop on April 28th, collecting raw samples of clay, some of his tools (see 1934.8.132) and several examples of his work. This is thought to belong to that group because of its cultural provenance, and its stylistic similarity to vessels elsewhere that are known to have been made by Mbitim at that time, such as those now in the Cleveland Museum of Art (1996.301-302) and the British Museum (1934.3-8.27). For other Zande bowls in the Pitt Rivers Museum made in similar style and using the same type of clay, see 1930.86.42-44 and 1931.66.2-3 (making use of similar square and dot impressed marks and applied ribbing); for anthropomorphic jars in the same fabric, see 1934.8.134 and 1950.12.117-118; for bookends in the same style, see 1934.8.135 (in which the modelling of the head is very similar to this piece) and 1996.53.1.
Powell-Cotton filmed Mbitim in action, with Hannah Powell-Cotton commenting: "'Mbitim', was an artist of exceptional skill and originality. His pots, jars and dishes were of varied and beautiful form, many decorated with Zande heads and figures, each one distinct, true to type and with its own definite personality. He worked swiftly with his fingers, and a split wood spatula; the only other tools were an achatina shell for the nostrils, and a fragment of gourd. The clay was very light in colour. This man's services are now pledged to the Sleeping Sickness Station at Lirangu, where he is encouraged to make book-ends and other objects of European design, but his work still remains individual" (Mrs Powell Cotton, "Village Handicrafts in the Sudan", Man 34 (112), pp 90-91). Others have commented on how Li Rangu had developed as a centre for foreign contact in the region (N. Barley, 1994, Smashing Pots, p. 144) .
Larken discusses Zande customs regarding the collection and working of clay. Clay is usually found on the banks of a stream, and prepared by pounding it in a mortar before shaping it by hand. Tools are limited to pieces of gourd or a rounded pebble for smoothing; decoration is applied by something simple, such as a short stick bound with cord. He describes two kinds of vessels that are made, one with a low collar around the mouth, and another with a bow-shaped neck (see 1931.66.2-3). The smaller pots are said to be used for cooking meat, the larger ones for water or making bakinde; other pots are for brewing beer, while long-necked varieties are used for washing the face and hands - this last type may have a head adorning the neck. Each type has its own Zande name. Decoration often covers the whole surface. Larken goes on to describe the firing and finishing: "When dry, pots are turned upside down and baked in the open, only certain kinds of wood being suitable for the fire. While still red-hot, they are splashed with water in which bark of the ndili tree has been soaked, in order to blacken them. A black polish is sometimes given to the smooth surfaces, by means of graphite grains, which are mixed with water and a little powdered ironstone, painted on the clay and gently but continually rubbed into it with a polishing-pebble before the pot is fired". The resulting vessel is not very strong, and only slightly porous, if at all; broad leaves may be used for a lid, if required (P.M. Larken, 1927, "Impressions of the Azande", Sudan Notes and Records X, pp 129-131). According to Evans-Pritchard, all Zande potters were male (Evans-Pritchard 1971, The Azande, p. 95).
Another characteristic of Zande pottery is that it is frequently mixed with small flecks of mica, which naturally occurs in beds throughout the region, known as hilidiwe, meaning 'slough of the moon' (P.M. Larken, 1926, "An Account of the Zande", Sudan Notes and Records IX no. 1, p. 4). Schweinfurth noted the presence of mica in both Bongo and Zande pottery, which he suggested made their wares very brittle. He believed this mix to be naturally occurring and that potters did not know how to remove it from their fabrics: "... [Zande potters] have no idea of the method of giving their clay a proper consistency by washing out the particles of mica and by adding a small quantity of sand" (G. Schweinfurth, 1873, In the Heart of Africa Volume I, p. 292; Volume II, p. 25). This mica may well have been left in the clay deliberately, as it gives the vessels an attractive sparkle, and does not seem to have impaired the plasticity of the material, as the detailed modelling of several Zande vessels demonstrates.
According to Larken, Zande men and women both practised cicatrisation, but 'the face is usually not touched, except where an individual has come into contact with Arabs and copied their habit in this direction (P.M. Larken, 1926, "An Account of the Zande", Sudan Notes and Records IX no. 1, p. 31)'. This practice may have become more widespread since Larken's time, however, as most of the modelled human figures made by Mbitim (1996.53.1, 1934.8.133-135, 1950.12.117, 1928.67.4), or Zande woodcarvers (1928.67.4, 1932.30.14-15) are depicted with this kind of facial scarring.
Rachael Sparks 24/8/2005.
Primary Documentation:
Accession Book Entry
[p.
248] 1934 [insert] 8 [end insert] -
MAJOR P.
H.
G.
POWELL-COTTON
, Quex Park, Birchington, E.
Kent.
Specimens collected by himself & Mrs Cotton, during hunting trips, 1933, viz: [...] [p.
260] - From the
ZANDE
tribe, LIRANGO, YAMBIO, DINGBA & TAMBURA [p.
262] [insert] 133 [end insert] - Ornamental pottery dish with 6 human heads in relief round the edge.
(1083).
Additional Accession Book Entry [p. 261] - 1934.8.133 no. given. NM [red biro] A24.F17.35-36.
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the catalogue card [RTS 3/2/2004].
Pitt Rivers Museum label - Dish, ZANDE. BAHR-EL-GHAZAL. E. SUDAN. d.d. Major Powell-Cotton. 1934 (1083) [paper tag, stuck to side of object]. AFRICA, SUDAN, AZANDE. Portrait vessel. d.d. Major P.H.G. Powell-Cotton, 1934.8.133 [plastic tag with metal eyelet, tied to object; RTS 23/3/2005].
Related Documents File - RDF 1934.8: Typewritten List of "Curios Presented to Dr. Balfour by Major & Mrs. Powell-Cotton. Zande Tribe". This object appears as item 1083: “DISH. with 6 heads (broken)". This entry has been added by hand to the end of this section; other Zande material was collected by Powell-Cotton between 27/4/1933 and 29/4/1933 within the modern administrative district of Western Equatoria. This object also appears on a typewritten list of Zande pottery unpacked at Quex House on 6/10/1933: "B.1083, Dish with 6 heads". 'B' stands for 'Balfour', indicating that the vessel had been allocated by then to the PRM [see letter dated 9/10/1996 in RDF 1996.53.1]. Also contains details of a cine film 'some tribes of the Southern Sudan', taken by Powell-Cotton during this 1933 expedition, copies of which are now in the National Film and Television Archive and the Powell-Cotton Museum in Kent [RTS 14/3/2005].
Additional Accession Book Entry [p. 261] - 1934.8.133 no. given. NM [red biro] A24.F17.35-36.
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the catalogue card [RTS 3/2/2004].
Pitt Rivers Museum label - Dish, ZANDE. BAHR-EL-GHAZAL. E. SUDAN. d.d. Major Powell-Cotton. 1934 (1083) [paper tag, stuck to side of object]. AFRICA, SUDAN, AZANDE. Portrait vessel. d.d. Major P.H.G. Powell-Cotton, 1934.8.133 [plastic tag with metal eyelet, tied to object; RTS 23/3/2005].
Related Documents File - RDF 1934.8: Typewritten List of "Curios Presented to Dr. Balfour by Major & Mrs. Powell-Cotton. Zande Tribe". This object appears as item 1083: “DISH. with 6 heads (broken)". This entry has been added by hand to the end of this section; other Zande material was collected by Powell-Cotton between 27/4/1933 and 29/4/1933 within the modern administrative district of Western Equatoria. This object also appears on a typewritten list of Zande pottery unpacked at Quex House on 6/10/1933: "B.1083, Dish with 6 heads". 'B' stands for 'Balfour', indicating that the vessel had been allocated by then to the PRM [see letter dated 9/10/1996 in RDF 1996.53.1]. Also contains details of a cine film 'some tribes of the Southern Sudan', taken by Powell-Cotton during this 1933 expedition, copies of which are now in the National Film and Television Archive and the Powell-Cotton Museum in Kent [RTS 14/3/2005].
