The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 26, 2024

Ceremonial Ladle (Wunkirmian or Wakemia)

Ceremonial Ladle (Wunkirmian or Wakemia)

possibly late 1800s or early 1900s
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

This ladle was a status symbol for a notable woman.

Description

An emblem of great prestige, this human-shaped ladle would have been owned by a distinguished married woman recognized for her talents as a farmer and her exceptional generosity and hospitality. One of her responsibilities was to host a grand Feast of Merit when she, along with other highly respected women, prepared food for a large number of local and foreign guests. During the feast the women danced brandishing their rice-filled ladles while singing in strident voices.
  • 1934-1985
    Pierre-Paul Grassé by field-collection (inv. P.P.G.5)
    1985-2013
    Grassé family, by descent
    2013
    (Christie's, Paris, France, "African and Oceanic Art," Sale 3553 Lot 94, June 19, 2013, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    2013-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Grunne, Bernard de, Hans Himmelheber, and Eberhard Fischer. Dan: la danse des cuillères = dancing with spoons. 2019, 5-6, 78. Mentioned: pp. 5-6; reproduced: p. 78, cat. 26.
    Rondeau, James, Constantijn Petridis, Yaëlle Biro, Herbert M. Cole, Kassim Kone, Babatunde Lawal, Wilfried Van Damme, and Susan Mullin Vogel. The language of beauty in African art. 2022.
  • The Language of Beauty in African Art. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX (April 3-July 31, 2022) https://kimbellart.org/exhibition/language-beauty-african-art; The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL (organizer) (November 20, 2022-February 27, 2023) https://www.artic.edu/exhibitions/9344/the-language-of-beauty-in-african-art.
  • {{cite web|title=Ceremonial Ladle (Wunkirmian or Wakemia)|url=false|author=|year=possibly late 1800s or early 1900s|access-date=26 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2013.52