Images(2)

Beer Vessel (ukhamba)

Artist Siphiwe Nala South Africa, Oyaya, KwaZulu-Natal, 1914–2003

DateEarly–mid 20th century

MediumEarthenware with wire and fiber repairs

DimensionsHeight: 10 1/2 in. (26.7 cm)
Diameter (mouth): 5 3/4 in. (14.6 cm)
Circumference (at widest point): 46 1/4 in. (117.5 cm)

ClassificationsCeramics

Credit LineGift of Julianna Simmons

Object number2017.20.10

On View

Not on view

Label TextThough some vessels on view were created for domestic use, new audiences have come to appreciate their aesthetics, and many artists sell work in contemporary art galleries. This vessel can be tentatively attributed to the mother—Siphiwe Nala—of the most famous Zulu potter of the twentieth century, Nesta Nala.

Nesta Nala trained generations of artists, including Clive Sithole and Ian Garrett, both of whose works are in the NCMA collection. This pot has been repaired locally at least twice, indicating its preciousness. It may thus represent the oldest vessel by a renowned family of living potters in any global collection.
[A. Maples, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," 2022]ProvenanceDavid Roberts (dealer), South Africa; sold to William B. Simmons, New York, NY, June 2006; given to daughter Julianna Simmons, New York, NY, n.d.; given to NCMA, 2017.
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