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Contemporary Zulu Pot by South African Artist Thembi Nala

Creator: Thembi Nala
Offered by: J R Richards

Description
Zulu Beer Vessel by Thembi Nala. Signed on the bottom dated 1998.

Thembi Nala was taught by her grandmother, Siphiwe, and by her mother, Nesta Nala. Aged 12, she began sculpting guinea fowl birds in clay. Later her mother taught her to make pots in the traditional Zulu way. As South African art museums and galleries began to recognize virtuoso ceramics, Thembi Nala established a career in her own right. She decorates vessels with low-relief figures and scenes, but also makes pots of classic Zulu form and decoration.
Zulu pots, made for the ritualized brewing and consumption of sorghum beer, are spiritual vessels, linked to the ancestors who govern all fertility. Pots are decorated, blackened, and burnished to please the spirits. Undecorated brewing pots are especially sacred because fermentation is a metaphor of conception.
Offered by J R Richards
Los Angeles. Ancient & Antique Contemporary Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and African Ceramics and Pottery.

More Information

Documentation:	Signed
Origin:	South Africa
Period:	1980-1999
Styles / Movements:	African, Traditional
Patterns:	Contemporary/Modern, Handmade, Traditional
Incollect Reference #:	690474

Dimensions

W.	5.5 in;	H.	4.5 in;
W.	13.97 cm;	H.	11.43 cm;

Message from Seller:

J R Richards has over 23 years of experience in the Ceramic Arts, specializing in Ancient and Contemporary Asian Ceramics, with a focus on Chinese, Japanese, and Korean pottery. Based in Los Angeles, J R Richards curates rare and high-quality pieces for discerning collectors and interior designers, showcasing them at major art fairs such as the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show and New York Asia Week. | joey@joeyrichards.com