Details

Title

Pot Lid

Artist/Maker

Woyo Artist, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Date

Late nineteenth to early twentieth century

Medium

Wood

Dimensions

1 3/4 x 6 3/4 x 7 inches

Credit

Fred and Rita Richman Collection

Accession #

72.40.188

Location

Currently not on view

Pot lids were once used to help resolve domestic conflicts in Woyo families. Both men and women used the lids to bring private arguments to wider discussion. A woman might serve the evening meal covered with a pot lid rather than with the usual leaves. This particular pot lid, which depicts adult birds moving in opposite directions trailed by fledglings, six on one side and three on the other, was probably used to address issues dividing a household.