Zulu Beer Basket Vintage

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Zulu Beer Basket Vintage:
$50.00

Actual size: 13 inches tall; 11 inches wide; 4-inch base; 36 inches circumferenceThis is an authentic Zulu Beer Basket from the private collection of Warren E. Becker, a well-known collector of African art. Made of tightly woven Ilala Palm grass and leaves which expand to form a seal when liquid is placed inside, the basket features a lid that fits snugly inside the top. Handwoven Zulu baskets are rare, used mostly in rural areas. Tin, ceramic, clay and plastic have now replaced these traditional baskets. Used in marriages, births, harvest and fertility ceremonies, the baskets’ natural color is beige. Other colors derived from berries, leaves, roots and clays are used for decoration. This basket was acquired by Becker in 1983 while he was living in the Zulu Kingdom of KwaZulu Land, just north of Durban in South Africa. “As always, I was searching for artifacts,” says Becker. “While bush-camping in the Veld, I was approached by some Zulu women basket weavers. The following day, one of them led me to her village where I purchased the baskets.”Becker studied African art and artifacts at Chicago’s Field Museum, the British Museum and Belgium’s Royal Museum for Central Africa. He spent the next 10 years wandering throughout Africa, visiting more than 35 nations. His acquisitions have been sold at galleries in France, North America and London. He opened a gallery at the prestigious Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. Pieces from his collection have been sold at sales in England and France. He is acknowledged as an expert on the art of the African continent. Only authentic tribal pieces were collected.