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Carved Tooth
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This is a fine example of art produced for sale to European visitors in the Lower Congo River area. A long history of cultural and artistic interactions between Africans and Europeans began in 1482, when the Portuguese first established diplomatic ties with the rulers of the Kongo kingdoms. Note the image of a foreign merchant pouring whiskey from a keg.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineCarved Tooth, late 1800s. Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cabinda, or Republic of the Congo, probably Vili-style maker. Hippopotamus ivory and organic material; overall: 33 cm (13 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. Charles E. Roseman, 1969.137
