Sara-Nar
Bowl
1959
Physical Qualities
Gourd, pigment, nail polish, 4 × 4 × 3 in. (10.2 × 10.2 × 7.6 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Marla I. Bush, Bethesda, Maryland
Object Number
2019.200
Carved and painted gourds were both traditional sources of wealth for Sara-Nar women and entry points to a cash economy. Women artists burned designs into the surface of the gourds with a hot blade, and, in later years, used nail polish and lipstick to enhance each object’s beauty. In the independence era, women sold these containers in city markets to obtain Central African francs. The more intricate a bowl’s design, the more valuable it was. When not in use, women stacked them outside their homes for all to see.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by gift, 2019; Marla Bush, Bethesda, Maryland by gift or by purchase; Ndjamena (then called Fort Lamy) market, 1968/1970
