大型の牛乳容器 – アカルム – トゥルカナ族 – ケニア – ひょうたん、革、顔料 – 20世紀中頃 (No reserve price)

Large milk container – Akarum – Turkana – Kenya – Gourd, leather, pigments – Mid-20th century

Details

Origin: Turkana people
Country: Kenya
Object type: Akarum container
Material: Gourd / calabash, leather, pigments, plant fibre ring
Height: 36 cm
Diameter: approx. 25 cm
Period: Mid-20th century
Provenance: Private collection
Stand: Sold with its straw support ring

Description

A particularly large and visually powerful Turkana akarum, remarkable for its rounded form, red and black surface decoration, leather stopper and old indigenous sewn repair.

Among the Turkana, containers of this type belonged to the pastoral domestic sphere and were used for milk and related dairy products. They are often made from carefully selected gourds, then fitted with leather elements, carrying straps, stoppers and protective bindings. Their surfaces may be rubbed, smoked, darkened or coloured through long use, producing the deep patinas so characteristic of Turkana material culture.

This example is especially striking for its generous, almost spherical volume. The body is decorated with broad red and black fields, creating a powerful visual rhythm around the surface. Unlike many related examples closed with a small wooden cup or vessel, this one is closed directly by a leather stopper, which gives it a more compact and unusual silhouette.

The bottom shows a beautiful old indigenous repair, carefully sewn with leather, a detail that strongly reinforces the object’s authenticity of use. The leather straps, carrying handle and bindings are still present, and the object is sold with its straw support ring, allowing it to be displayed upright.

A very attractive and uncommon example, notable for its large size, rounded form, beautiful colour contrast and strong ethnographic character.

Condition

Good condition overall, with wear, scratches, abrasions, small losses, surface marks and irregularities consistent with age and use. Old indigenous sewn repair to the bottom. Leather elements worn, dry and partly fragile, as expected for age and use. Old insect holes / traces of xylophagous activity, stabilized, consistent with age and use. Surface wear and patina throughout. Sold with its straw support ring. Please refer to the photographs.