STONEWARE POT
LADI KWALI (C. 1925 - 1984), NIGERIA
£9,375
Auction: 8 June 2022 at 14:00 BST
Description
glazed stoneware, the base inscribed with maker's initials 'LK', the body decorated with traditional animal motifs in a sgraffitoed slip
Dimensions
33cm tall
Footnote
Provenance:
Dr Russell J Parkes, a friend of the artist, acquired from her whilst living in Zaria, Kaduna in the early 1970s, thence by descent. A lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University, Dr Parkes ultimately settled in Jos and became a key patron of several noted Nigerian artists.
Note:
Ladi Kwali is perhaps the most renowned African potter of the last one-hundred years. A pioneer of African ceramic art modernism, she found international acclaim for her works, which melded the traditional skills she had been taught as a child with use of new materials and firing techniques. This resulted in heavier vessels that could no longer function as water storage pots, but rather served as fine art pieces. Kwali's freehand decoration of her works incorporated indigenous motifs of various animals. Beautifully expressive, her works bridge African and Western influences.