Object Details
- Shona artist
- Tsonga artist
- Zulu artist
- Label Text
- Snuff, a preparation of powdered and processed tobacco, has been widely used in Africa since Europeans introduced tobacco in the 16th century. Offered to visitors or shared among friends, snuff is usually carried in a small container made from a simple gourd or fruit shell. Decorative and geometric patterns are formed by inserting short pieces of brass wire like staples into the surface of the container.
- Description
- Snuff container of spherical hollow groud with brass wire shapes in alternating rows of connected, stacked horizontal lozenges and a band around the top.
- Provenance
- Michael Graham-Stewart, London, -- to 1989
- Exhibition History
- The Art of Daily Life: Portable Objects from Southern Africa, Cleveland Museum of Art, April 17, 2011-February 26, 2012
- Art of the Personal Object, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., September 24, 1991-April 9, 2007
- Published References
- De Smet, P.A.G.M. 1998. "Traditional Pharmacology and Medicine in Africa." Journal of Ethnopharmacology 63, p. 55, no. 66a.
- Petridis, Constantine. 2011. The Art of Daily Life: Portable Objects from Southern Africa. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art; Milan: 5 Continents Editions, pp. 44, 100, no. 16.
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Credit Line
- Acquisition grant from the James Smithson Society
- Late 19th-early 20th century
- Object number
- 89-8-30
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Sculpture
- Medium
- Gourd, brass wire
- Dimensions
- H x W: 5.7 x 7 cm (2 1/4 x 2 3/4 in.)
- Geography
- South Africa
- Zimbabwe
- Mozambique
- See more items in
- National Museum of African Art Collection
- National Museum of African Art
- Topic
- Tobacco
- male
- Record ID
- nmafa_89-8-30
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys7ea61514c-87a1-4e5e-9c96-b0a7b00a607a
