Tea glass box

Object Details

Moor artist

Label Text

The Tuareg and Moors drink green tea flavored with herbs and sweetened with sugar. Tea glasses and sugar hammers, once used for breaking up sugar loaves, are part of the daily tea rituals. The Tuareg and Moors keep their tea glasses in leather bags or protective metal boxes. The boxes have compartments made of wood and lined with leather for three or more glasses. The outside of the boxes are decorated with copper, brass or silver embellishments.

This small, oval case is decorated with silver and punched motifs that reflect Mauritanian influence. The engravings are typical Tuareg designs. The triangular motifs on the top of this box, a sign of protection, are also found on Tuareg tent screens, mats and leatherwork.

Description

Oval shaped box for holding tea glasses with copper and silver pieces in the shapes of chevrons, triangles and rectangles. The case and the individual pieces of metal are engraved with motifs. The body is studded with silver and copper tacks.

Provenance

Private European collection, collected Niger or Mali, 1959-1971 to 1993

Exhibition History

Art from the Forge, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., September 6, 1995-January 2, 1996

Art of the Personal Object, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., September 24, 1991-April 9, 2007

Published References

Loughran, Kristyne. 1995. Art from the Forge. Washington D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, p. 15, no. 7.

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 Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks.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

Museum purchase and gift of Mrs. Florence Selden in memory of Carl L. Selden

Early to mid-20th century

Object number

93-6-20

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Type

Sculpture

Medium

Brass, copper, silver, wood, leather

Dimensions

H x W x D: 9.5 x 19.1 x 6.4 cm (3 3/4 x 7 1/2 x 2 1/2 in.)

See more items in

National Museum of African Art Collection

Object Name

tanaka

National Museum of African Art

Topic

Status

geometric motif

male

Record ID

nmafa_93-6-20

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys76599a8f6-2077-4122-a9a8-9ab8cc0655d5