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Made by a female potter nearly a century ago, this palm wine vessel represents past and present cultural practices in the Cameroon Grassfields (northwest and western Cameroon). Women in the pottery-producing centers of Babessi and Bamessing hand-built these vessels. Their process alludes to pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Passing knowledge from mother to daughter since at least the 1700s, making pottery is a female economic, social, and artistic contribution. Yet many motifs refer to royal or male power, such as the lizards on this vessel. Elegant palm wine vessels like this were appropriate for ritual and hospitality in Cameroon Grassfields royal courts.
Page data
- Page
- 1
- Source index
- 0
- Type
- photo
- Media ID
- aca60f45f0f822f5
- Size
- unknown
Document data
- ID
- 160761
- Core
- obj
- Type
- object
DTO data
{
"id": "160761",
"contentType": "object",
"title": "Palm Wine Vessel (kuh mendu)",
"description": "Made by a female potter nearly a century ago, this palm wine vessel represents past and present cultural practices in the Cameroon Grassfields (northwest and western Cameroon). Women in the pottery-producing centers of Babessi and Bamessing hand-built these vessels. Their process alludes to pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Passing knowledge from mother to daughter since at least the 1700s, making pottery is a female economic, social, and artistic contribution. Yet many motifs refer to royal or male power, such as the lizards on this vessel. Elegant palm wine vessels like this were appropriate for ritual and hospitality in Cameroon Grassfields royal courts.",
"date": "1900s",
"citation": "https://clevelandart.org/art/1998.94",
"rights": "CC0",
"rightsUri": "CC0",
"language": "en",
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"imageCount": 1,
"source": "import",
"dimensionsRaw": "Overall: 45 cm (17 11/16 in.)",
"cul": [
"Probably Babessi or Bamessing, Cameroon, Cameroon Grassfields-style pottery, unknown female ceramicist"
],
"accession": "1998.94"
}
Context sent to Scholar
Document identity
{
"localId": "160761",
"label": "Palm Wine Vessel (kuh mendu)",
"core": "obj",
"dtoType": "object"
}
Document source metadata
{
"id": "160761",
"contentType": "object",
"title": "Palm Wine Vessel (kuh mendu)",
"description": "Made by a female potter nearly a century ago, this palm wine vessel represents past and present cultural practices in the Cameroon Grassfields (northwest and western Cameroon). Women in the pottery-producing centers of Babessi and Bamessing hand-built these vessels. Their process alludes to pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Passing knowledge from mother to daughter since at least the 1700s, making pottery is a female economic, social, and artistic contribution. Yet many motifs refer to royal or male power, such as the lizards on this vessel. Elegant palm wine vessels like this were appropriate for ritual and hospitality in Cameroon Grassfields royal courts.",
"date": "1900s",
"citation": "https://clevelandart.org/art/1998.94",
"rights": "CC0",
"rightsUri": "CC0",
"language": "en",
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"imageCount": 1,
"source": "import",
"dimensionsRaw": "Overall: 45 cm (17 11/16 in.)",
"cul": [
"Probably Babessi or Bamessing, Cameroon, Cameroon Grassfields-style pottery, unknown female ceramicist"
],
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}
Document source extras
{
"tec": "Terracotta",
"tombstone": "Palm Wine Vessel (kuh mendu), 1900s. Probably Babessi or Bamessing, Cameroon, Cameroon Grassfields-style pottery, unknown female ceramicist. Terracotta; overall: 45 cm (17 11/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1998.94",
"collection": "African Art",
"didYouKnow": "Serving and sharing palm wine in decorated vessels like this is part of a larger food culture in the Cameroon Grassfields kingdoms that centers on ritual, hospitality, status, and diplomacy.",
"url": "https://clevelandart.org/art/1998.94",
"creditline": "John L. Severance Fund",
"updatedAt": "2026-05-29 08:21:29.002000",
"imageUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1998.94/1998.94_print.jpg",
"sourceId": 160761,
"dept": "African Art",
"coll": "African Art",
"med": "Terracotta",
"thumbnail_url": null,
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}
Page context
{
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"type": "photo",
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1998.94/1998.94_web.jpg",
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