Vase 2000
Earthenware | 33.0 x 33.4 cm (whole object) | RCIN 94660
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A large black earthenware pot created from a coil, burnished, pit-fired and smoked, with a bulbous body and raised neck and decorated with raised and incised geometric designs with protruding cattle heads in Zulu amansumpa style. The pot is polished with animal fat and finished using a pebble with soot and leaf-ash.
Amansumpa (literally 'warts') is a traditional Zulu decorative technique consisting of raised warts of clay on the surface of the pot. The protrusions often form repeated circular or square stud patterns. Here, however, Sithole has represented cattle, which are a recurring feature of his work. He deliberately depicts bulls, which are a symbol of Zulu masculinity, as a counterpoint to the feminine nature of the pot. Until the late twentieth century, pots of this kind were made exclusively by women.Provenance
Clive Sitholi, born in Soweto in 1971, began his professional life as a fashion designer in Johannesburg. In 1986 he moved to Durban and joined the Babumbi Clay Project whilst also attending classes at the University of Durban. His interest in traditional Zulu pottery and firing techniques now form the basis of his ceramic work.
Presented to Queen Elizabeth II at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Australia in 2000. -
Creator(s)
(nationality)Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Earthenware
Measurements
33.0 x 33.4 cm (whole object)
Place of Production
South Africa