Donkey Urn with Fish Lid
Dublin Core
Title
Donkey Urn with Fish Lid
Creator Biography
Africa
Culture
Malinke culture
Place Made
Koutiala area, Africa
Description
This very large vessel is unusual in that the lid and the vessel were carved as one piece, possibly from the same piece of wood, and it also illustrates unusual imagery. The dome-style lid is a near-perfect match to the top of the vessel, and it supports a portrayal of a large fish with a tailfin that points upward. The vessel is carved with images of donkeys that walk around the bowl, and the vessel is supported by a figure of a donkey; because the hind quarters of the donkey are lower than its head, the sculptor has inserted the head of a bearded man on the donkey‘s rump, to serve literally as the rear support for the vessel.
Researched by Tiffany Henson, 2011, Missouri State University student
This complex urn was produced by an artist of the Malinke Culture of western Africa, a culture closely associated with the Senufo. It was likely used for the same type of purpose as the Senufo Figural Urn with Monkey Lid also in this exhibit.
The artist carved the urn with an assortment of motifs. Supporting the urn is the figure of a donkey, identifiable by its large ears. A disembodied, bearded head protrudes from the donkey's rump; aside from indicating the presence of a mature man, this head was apparently added here to visually balance the sculpture and to provide structural support for the urn above. The urn itself is carved in relief with a register of donkeys encircling the bowl; the donkeys appear to be drinking or eating from small bowls set on pillars. The lid that covers the top of the urn is carved with a large, abstracted fish with an upturned tail.
While little is known of symbolism in Malinke culture, the closely related Senufo culture has been thoroughly studied, and the Malinke likely adopted these animals and meanings for their own rituals. Donkeys are common beasts of burden, but when even a humble animal is used as a mount for a person - as the disembodied head on the donkey's rump may indicate - this animal becomes a symbol of power in cultures throughout Africa. The fish, meanwhile, likely holds the same meaning as noted for the Senufo Fila Cloth panels also in this exhibit, and represents vitality and abundance.
Researched by Tiffany Henson, 2011, Missouri State University student
This complex urn was produced by an artist of the Malinke Culture of western Africa, a culture closely associated with the Senufo. It was likely used for the same type of purpose as the Senufo Figural Urn with Monkey Lid also in this exhibit.
The artist carved the urn with an assortment of motifs. Supporting the urn is the figure of a donkey, identifiable by its large ears. A disembodied, bearded head protrudes from the donkey's rump; aside from indicating the presence of a mature man, this head was apparently added here to visually balance the sculpture and to provide structural support for the urn above. The urn itself is carved in relief with a register of donkeys encircling the bowl; the donkeys appear to be drinking or eating from small bowls set on pillars. The lid that covers the top of the urn is carved with a large, abstracted fish with an upturned tail.
While little is known of symbolism in Malinke culture, the closely related Senufo culture has been thoroughly studied, and the Malinke likely adopted these animals and meanings for their own rituals. Donkeys are common beasts of burden, but when even a humble animal is used as a mount for a person - as the disembodied head on the donkey's rump may indicate - this animal becomes a symbol of power in cultures throughout Africa. The fish, meanwhile, likely holds the same meaning as noted for the Senufo Fila Cloth panels also in this exhibit, and represents vitality and abundance.
Researched and conserved by David Lettingham, 2011, Missouri State University student. Mentor: Dr. Billie Follensbee
Date Created
20th cent. (before 1985)
Century
20th
Item Dimensions
Urn: 62 cm h. x 22 cm w. x 22 cm d.
Lid: 33 cm h. x 22 cm w. x 22 cm d.
Lid: 33 cm h. x 22 cm w. x 22 cm d.
Medium
sculpture
Materials
wood & pigment
Techniques
carving
Provenance
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Stoneman
Acession Number
1985.31.XX
Accession Year
1985
Photo Number
20150033
20150034
20150034