Bowl for Sauce or Stew (Ku To)

Grassfields potters make a variety of small bowls for warming and serving stew, a staple dish that is part of almost every meal. Until recently all men and women had such a bowl, which could vary in form from simple to ostentatious depending on the rank and wealth of the owner. The majority, like this one, are round bottomed with an inward sloping rim, a looped handle on one end–from which it could be hung when not in use–and, opposite the handle, a projecting stud, evocatively called the navel. In Nsei, where this piece originated, both women and men can make simple versions with or without a handle or navel; only men, however, make the more elaborate versions with representational imagery, raised pedestals, and lids. Although this small bowl is relatively straightforward in its form and decoration, carefully considered details–such as the elliptical topknot and the small buttresses on the handle, the decorative notch in the navel, and the sure-handed incising–give it an accomplished air. [See also 2005.249].