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Source Description
Combining beauty and functionality, this finely carved wooden snuff container is adorned with twisted strands of colorful glass beads. Once an object of status, it signaled the wealth and taste of its owner. Its general shape and the parallel ridges appear to be the skillful imitation of a fruit. Throughout southern Africa and elsewhere on the continent, smoking tobacco and taking snuff are enjoyed as activities that enhance positive social relationships. Both men and women wore these personal and portable objects attached to cloaks, carried in bags, or adorning the neck, arm, or waist.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
168422
label
Snuff Container
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
168422
contentType
object
title
Snuff Container
description
Combining beauty and functionality, this finely carved wooden snuff container is adorned with twisted strands of colorful glass beads. Once an object of status, it signaled the wealth and taste of its owner. Its general shape and the parallel ridges appear to be the skillful imitation of a fruit. Throughout southern Africa and elsewhere on the continent, smoking tobacco and taking snuff are enjoyed as activities that enhance positive social relationships. Both men and women wore these personal and portable objects attached to cloaks, carried in bags, or adorning the neck, arm, or waist.
date
1800s–1900s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60779398
genreSpecific
Vessels
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 20.3 cm (8 in.)
cul
Africa, Southern Africa, South Africa, Northern Nguni-style maker
accession
2010.201
Source extras
tec
Wood, glass beads, shell, and cotton
tombstone
Snuff Container, 1800s–1900s. Africa, Southern Africa, South Africa, Northern Nguni-style maker. Wood, glass beads, shell, and cotton; overall: 20.3 cm (8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 2010.201
collection
African Art
didYouKnow
A man likely made the wooden container while a woman likely made the beaded attachment.
citations
citation
Pemberton, John, III. African Beaded Art: Power and Adornment, exh. cat. Northampton, Massachusetts: Smith College Museum of Art, 2008, cat. 93
citation
Petridis, Constatine. "The Art of Daily Life: Portable Objects from Southeast Africa. " Tribal Art. (Summer 2011). Pg. 66, Fig. 1.
creditline
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:39:42.494000
sourceId
168422
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
Wood, glass beads, shell, and cotton
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
ccef6c193aae4aba