£2,750
Auction: 8 June 2022 at 14:00 BST
carved wood, the first of abstract anthropomorphic appearance, a dark caramel colour, with triangular sections of grooved carving and dual raised nodes indicating breasts; the second of a reddish hue, with lug handles and two central bands of carved amasumpa; the third a deep brown colour, with raised square sections around the neck and carved diagonal ridges
Provenance:
The I.W. Collection, United Kingdom, formed over the past thirty years.
Note:
In traditional Zulu society, cows and the milk they produced were representative of wealth. Indeed, to this day the expression “umnumzane ubonakala ngesibaya sakhe” (the man’s social status is seen by the size of his kraal) remains a popular Zulu expression.
Many items produced for "everyday use" in traditional Zulu society were imbued with rich meaning and artistry. Those associated with cattle and their produce were no exception. Containers for milk (amathunga) were prestige objects and the examples contained within the present lot are of a particularly fine quality.