SUPERB MASAI MILK CONTAINER.

Museum quality and possessing all the attributes of great African art.  Made from a gourd profusely carved and scorch decorated with base panel of alternate spears and shields.  A panel above with a herder and procession of animals including horse, camels and ostriches, all in flat somewhat abstracted representations naively devoid of perspective.  The medial panel with colonial soldiers with long guns,  scorpion, an airplane in flattened view with the wheels at its side in the absence of perspective, herdsmen, with bulls, insects and chameleon and a cargo truck with fowl.  The top upper band in lions and leopards and the top narrow band snakes and copied alphabet letters.  The pictorial bands are separated by elaborately detailed geometric patterned bands.  The plane and truck date it to the 1920s.  The surface character is fine with crisp confidently executed carving.  The upper edge retains its original cord suspension loop and bears two working life repairs made with cabled cord.  A segment 1 x 1 1/2 is missing and a few hair line cracks extend from the damages.  These damages and repairs are testimony of the utilitarian function of this vessel, the esteem with which it was regarded and are hallmarks of its authenticity.  Truly museum worthy.

Extended Layaway is available for this item.