Shea Butter Jar

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Culture Baatonu

Title Shea Butter Jar

Date Early to mid-20th century

Medium Clay

Dimensions Object: 12 1/2 × 12 in. (31.8 × 30.5 cm)
Overall: 12 1/2 × 12 in. (31.8 × 30.5 cm)

Credit Line Gift of William M. Itter, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 2014.84

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About this Work

Among the Baatonu, a woman’s mother typically gave her a jar such as this example when she married. Considered a blessing this jar held shea-butter, a staple used in cooking, for skin care, medicine, and as lantern oil. After the shea-butter is used, the jar could store another substance.

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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Shea Butter Jar | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2024. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=2014.84