A mortar

A mortar, wood, carved decoration "Geometric motifs"., Angolan - Tshokwe, 20th C. (1st half), minor faults, chips, wear, purchased at Sanzala Muata Sabumbo - Soba Matassambuia, Posto do Lóvua, Municipality of Chitato, Lunda, in June 1965, Provenance: Collection of Engineer Elísio Romariz dos Santos Silva, item number 68, mentioned in the notebook of the collector «Angola - Arte Negra, Relação e descrição das peças», identified in it as «Gral»: "This type of mortar (Tebino teha milungo) is used for trampling spice plants for the kitchen. [...] The upper part of the Gral [...] is decorated with a frieze divided into 4 parts by diametrically opposite projections, one of them is crossed by a hole through which a thread would pass in order to be suspended. Between these protusions there is a decoration made with carvings, the four panels being different. Next to the foot strangulation there are two grooves. Purchased at Sanzala Muata Sabumbo - Soba Matassambuia, Posto do Lóvua, Municipality of Chitato, Lunda, in June 1965 [...]". Mortars with partly identical decoration are represented in REDINHA, José - "Album Etnográfico Portugal-Angola". Luanda: C.I.T.A, 1971, p. 35; and in REDINHA, José - "Campanha Etnográfica ao Tchiboco (Alto-Tchicapa) - Anotações e Documentação gráfica", volume 2. In "Diamag - Publicações Culturais nº 19". Lisboa: Companhia de Diamantes de Angola - Serviços Culturais Dundo - Lunda - Angola - Museu do Dundo, 1955, p. 106, nº 15., Dim. - 13 cm