A Mangbetu Terracotta Vessel

Terracotta vessel Mangbetu, DR Congo Ohne Sockel / without base Terracotta. H 21 cm. Provenance: Gérald Minkoff (1937-2009) and Muriel Olesen (1948-2020), Geneva. Pottery is one of the oldest crafts in human culture. The earliest pottery finds in Africa are dated to around 7000 to 5000 BC. Although metal, glass and finally plastics have increasingly replaced clay as a raw material over the course of time, this craft has not disappeared and has even experienced a revival in more recent times. In many parts of Africa, working with clay and the subsequent firing to terracotta is still the exclusive preserve of women, whose men are usually employed as blacksmiths. The art of making vessels requires a great deal of skill and dedication. The oldest and simplest method is used, the construction technique, in which clay rings are assembled and the transitions smoothed. After adding decorations by carving or adding them, the blanks are fired at temperatures of 450 °C to 1000 °C, usually in an open fire. The surface can then be treated with grease or plant ash, for example, to embellish it. The exquisitely designed vessels were not only used to transport and store drinks or food. Particularly valuable vessels were adorned with elaborate decorations and were also used for the storage of goods or for ritual purposes. Here too, the more elaborate the design, the more valuable the product. In contrast to ceramics for everyday use, which were used to transport and store food and drink as well as valuables, cult vessels were also revered as memorial and shrine objects. They were often used to store healing formulas, precious earth or magical substances. Further reading: Guichard, Pierre (Ed.) (2015). Par la main des femmes. La poterie modelée du Maghreb. Lyon: Musée des Confluences / Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée. ----------------------------------------------------- Gérald Minkoff and Muriel Olesen Muriel Minkoff-Olesen (1948- 2020) completed her training at the School of Design in Geneva. Gérald Minkoff (1937-2009) was a trained anthropologist and biologist. Both achieved fame as artists and from the moment they met in 1967, the emblematic couple of contemporary art were inseparable. The travel-loving Olesen-Minkoff duo explored life like curious nomads, roaming the globe from Africa to Asia, Oceania, America and Patagonia. As artists and experienced collectors of contemporary art, they understandably had a keen sensitivity to the aesthetics and concepts of non-European art. The couple's Geneva apartment, perhaps their most beautiful joint work, thus became a place where the works of close friends such as Daniel Spoerri, Arman and Man Ray, as well as their own photographs, lived together with almost a thousand objects from Africa, Oceania, Asia and South America. CHF 200 / 400 Condition: The condition (wear, eventual cracks, tear, other imperfections and the effects of aging etc. if applicable) of this lot is as visible on the multiple photos we have uploaded for your documentation. Please feel free to contact Hammer Auktionen for all questions you might have regarding this lot ([email protected]). Any condition statement given, as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Hammer Auctions shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. In the rare event that the item did not conform to the lot description in the sale, Hammer Auktionen is here to help. Buyers may return the item for a full refund provided you notify Hammer Auktionen within 5 days of receiving the item. -------------------------------------------- The condition (possible wear, signs of use, cracks, possible other damage and signs of age, etc.) of this lot can be seen in the photos we have uploaded for your documentation. If you have any questions about this item, please do not hesitate to contact Hammer Auctions ([email protected]). The information regarding the condition of the items provided for the convenience of interested parties is an opinion only and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Hammer Auctions accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions. In the rare event that the item does not match the description in the catalog, Hammer Auctions is here to help. Buyers may return the lot for a full refund provided they notify Hammer Auctions within 5 days of receiving the lot.