Figurative Palm Wine Cup

Kuba, 19th century

Scroll

Kuba

Figurative Palm Wine Cup

Kuba

Figurative Palm Wine Cup

Kuba, 19th century

Physical Qualities Wood, 7 1/4 x 4 5/16 x 4 3/4 in. (18.4 x 11 x 12 cm.)

Credit Line Gift of Alan Wurtzburger

Object Number 1954.145.110

Taste matters. In the Kuba kingdom, men were not born into high rank at court. They had to prove their merit before being appointed courtiers. Acquiring and displaying fine art was one way to prove the owner's good judgement, intelligence, wealth, and sophistication--qualities required to earn a title. This refined cup was commisioned by an ambitious and cultured man to present palm wine to guests. It would have been passed around the circle to each man present. The woman's cultivated hairline and the pronounced shape of her head indicate her noble status.

"Meditations on African Art: PATTERN," Mar 12, 2008-Aug 17, 2008, BMA, Karen Milbourne.

Gallery Rotation, "Wurtzburger Case 1," December 2009 - present.

"Hand Held: Personal Arts from Africa," Sep 25, 2011-Feb 5, 2012, BMA, Kathryn Gunsch.

African Reinstallation, "Public Art," April 2015, Wurtzburger Galleries, BMA, Kathryn Gunsch.

Frederick John Lamp, "See the Music Hear the Dance: Rethinking African Art at the Baltimore Museum of Art." New York: Prestel, 2003, p.126,ill.

Phillip, Walters. "Hand Held: Personal Arts from Africa." City Paper on the Web. Baltimore Weekly Events section. December 29, 2011. http://weekly.citypaper.com/Events/e144997/emHand_Held_Personal_Arts_from_Africaem

The Baltimore Sun on the web. Advertisement for "Hand Held: Personal Arts from Africa". December 30, 2011. http://findlocal.baltimoresun.com/listings/hand-held-personal-arts-from-africa-baltimore

University of Wisconsin Alumni Association. Event Flyer. "Hand Held: Personal Arts from Africa" tour followed by reception. Sunday, January 22, 2012: color image on flyer.