Vessel
before 1894 (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 vessel was purchased by the V&A in 1894 from Benjamin Joseph Bucknall, a British architect living in Algiers who died the following year. At the time of its acquisition the vessel was described as having been 'made by women of the Beni Jenni tribe, Kabylia'. Its construction and design are typical. The clay was then shaped by hand using the thumb and coiling methods. The vessel then was decorated with coloured oxides and slips before being fired.
This vessel was purchased by the V&A in 1894 from Benjamin Joseph Bucknall, a British architect living in Algiers who died the following year. At the time of its acquisition the vessel was described as having been 'made by women of the Beni Jenni tribe, Kabylia'. Its construction and design are typical. The clay was then shaped by hand using the thumb and coiling methods. The vessel then was decorated with coloured oxides and slips before being fired.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Earthenware, decorated with kaolin, coloured oxides and slips |
| Brief description | Vessel, earthenware, Kabyle, Algeria, before 1894. |
| Physical description | Vase-shaped earthenware vessel decorated in blocks of red and white, the white overlaid by geometric designs applied in black. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Object history | Accessions register entry: 'Vase of red earthenware, with swelling body lessening towards the narrow neck and spreading lip; it is painted in red ochre, manganese and white with conventional patterns. A portion of the surface has been polished with a piece of wood. Made by women of the Beni Jenni tribe, Kabylia. North African; 19th century. H. 5 ¼ in., diam. 2 ¾ in. Bought, 1s. 6d. [B. Bucknall, Campagne Stephanie, Mustapha, Algiers]' |
| 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 vessel was purchased by the V&A in 1894 from Benjamin Joseph Bucknall, a British architect living in Algiers who died the following year. At the time of its acquisition the vessel was described as having been 'made by women of the Beni Jenni tribe, Kabylia'. Its construction and design are typical. The clay was then shaped by hand using the thumb and coiling methods. The vessel then was decorated with coloured oxides and slips before being fired. |
| Bibliographic reference | Vincentelli, Moira. Reflections on a Kabyle Pot: Algerian Women and the Decorative Tradition. Journal of Design History. 1989, vol.2, nos. 2 & 3. pp.123-128
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 375-1894 |
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| Record created | June 17, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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