Jug
before 1868 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Kabyles are a Berber people who live in Northern Algeria. For more than 200 years Kabyle women have made earthenware objects from locally-dug clay. Kabyle pottery was traditionally made for domestic purposes such as preparing and serving food, storing water and providing light, and for ritual occasions such as births and weddings. Today its purpose is largely decorative and other materials such as plastic, metal and china are used to serve its original practical functions.
This water jug was purchased by the V&A in 1868 as part of a group of 51 Kabyle items. Its construction and design are typical. The clay was shaped by hand using the thumb and coiling methods. Before firing, the jug was decorated with kaolin, coloured oxides and slips (liquid clay), usually in blocks of red and white overlaid by geometric designs applied in black. Pots not intended for use in cooking, like this one, also had a resin applied to give a glazed surface. This gave a yellow colour and ensured that the pot was watertight.
This water jug was purchased by the V&A in 1868 as part of a group of 51 Kabyle items. Its construction and design are typical. The clay was shaped by hand using the thumb and coiling methods. Before firing, the jug was decorated with kaolin, coloured oxides and slips (liquid clay), usually in blocks of red and white overlaid by geometric designs applied in black. Pots not intended for use in cooking, like this one, also had a resin applied to give a glazed surface. This gave a yellow colour and ensured that the pot was watertight.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Earthenware, decorated with kaolin, coloured oxides and slips and covered with resin |
| Brief description | Jug (tabukalt), earthenware, Algeria, Grande Kabyle, Djurdjura region (probably Aït Aïssi group), before 1868 |
| Physical description | Jug with bulbous body, shaped to suggest a female torso, and two narrow spouts. Decorated in blocks of red and white (resinous glaze makes this appear yellow), the latter overlaid by geometric designs applied in black. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Gallery label | [Mariam Rosser-Owen - draft label text for new Ceramics Gallery display]
Berber women of the Kabyle region of northern Algeria have made pottery in the same way for centuries. The vessels are utilitarian, used for storing or transporting food or water. They are decorated with traditional designs, indicating tribal identity and amuletic protection over the vessels' contents. The V&A acquired these objects in 1868, which gives a rare means of dating them.
1. Water jar (tekelilt)
Algeria, Grande Kabyle, Djurdjura region (probably Aït Aïssi tribe), before 1868
Earthenware, decorated with slips and covered with resin
These jars are used for transporting water from public wells and storing it in the house.
Museum no. 31:12-1868 (probably)
2. Oil lamp (mesbah)
Algeria, Grande Kabyle, Djurdjura region (probably Aït Aïssi tribe), before 1868
Earthenware, decorated with slips and covered with resin
The monumental lamps are carried in wedding and New Year ceremonies.
Museum no. 31:48-1868
3. Jug (tabukalt)
Algeria, Grande Kabyle, Djurdjura region (probably Aït Aïssi tribe), before 1868
Earthenware, decorated with slips and covered with resin
These jugs are used in the home for storing and pouring water.
Museum no. 31:42-1868(03/2008) |
| Object history | Accessions register entry: [Pasted in label] Pottery (a collection of fifty-one specimens). Various domestic objects belonging to the Kabyle Arabs. Painted earthenware. Modern North African. Bought, 30l [Added by hand in pen] 6 at Burslem Museum 1 each at:- 18 Mansfield, Nottingham, Penzance, Sleaford, Stoke, Torquay, Putney, Rotherham, Selby, Shipley, Stourbridge, Huddersfield, Ipswich, Kendal, Lowestoft, Canterbury, Coventry, Glasgow. 13 at Edinburgh. 5 in Lockers, Rm. 133: 31/34, 28 8 in Crypt 1 in Case 10 B.G.M 31/15 [Added by hand in pen at top of page] 31/3, 13, 14, 17, 18, 20, 26, 32, 35, 39, 41, 43. Transferred permanently to the Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh 21/2771 & 4613. |
| Production | Grande Kabyle, Djurdjura region (probably Aït Aïssi group) |
| Summary | The Kabyles are a Berber people who live in Northern Algeria. For more than 200 years Kabyle women have made earthenware objects from locally-dug clay. Kabyle pottery was traditionally made for domestic purposes such as preparing and serving food, storing water and providing light, and for ritual occasions such as births and weddings. Today its purpose is largely decorative and other materials such as plastic, metal and china are used to serve its original practical functions. This water jug was purchased by the V&A in 1868 as part of a group of 51 Kabyle items. Its construction and design are typical. The clay was shaped by hand using the thumb and coiling methods. Before firing, the jug was decorated with kaolin, coloured oxides and slips (liquid clay), usually in blocks of red and white overlaid by geometric designs applied in black. Pots not intended for use in cooking, like this one, also had a resin applied to give a glazed surface. This gave a yellow colour and ensured that the pot was watertight. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 31:42-1868 |
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| Record created | March 26, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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