407 - PAIR OF GOURDS - Tanzania, Kenya

PAIR OF GOURDS - Tanzania, Kenya Mid-20th century. Wood, gourd, beads. Dimensions: 18 cm and 70 cm. Nyamwezi diviner’s gourd: A natural plant structure shaped like a pear or hourglass (calabash). The stopper of the vessel is shaped like a stylized head with straight, clean lines, typical of Tanzanian statuary. A row of beads adorns the area separating the two bulges of the calabash. It has a dark, oily patina from use, attesting to the object’s frequent ritual handling and age. These ritual vessels belonged to diviner-healers. They were used to store plant powders or elixirs employed in rituals of healing, divination, or community protection. The head carved on the stopper evokes a spiritual guardian protecting the vessel’s contents. Masai (or Pokot) milk gourd: Hollowed-out calabash, leather case and carrying straps sewn together, small ornaments. A voluminous spherical body topped by a long, slender cylindrical neck. An accompanying flared wooden vessel serves as a cup for drinking milk. Research and documentation: Coryse Mwape, art historian specializing in ancient African art. Internal ref.: 95/245