Description:

East Africa, Ethiopia, ca. 19th century CE. A beautiful ceramic lip plug made to be worn by a woman in the Mursi culture, or possibly the Chai or Tirma cultures. This example has a deep groove around its edges and incised abstract geometric motifs on both faces. The lip plate, known as "dhebi a tugoin", is worn by girls from adolescence onward. When a girl is in her mid-teens, a older woman in her kin group cuts her lip, and inserts a wooden plug into it until the wound heals, which can take several months. After that, ceramic plugs like this one may be worn, with the girl choosing to widen her lip using plugs of increasing size if she so desires. They are seen as a sign of adulthood amongst women from this culture. Size: 4.15" W x 0.5" H (10.5 cm x 1.3 cm)

Provenance: private California, USA Collection

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#135178

  • Condition: One larger chip and one smaller chip to rim. Nice, slightly silvery patina on the surface with well-preserved motifs.

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July 19, 2018 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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