Lidded Box
1775–1825
- Medium
- Tin alloy
- Dimensions
- 20.4 × 13.4 × 7.7 cm (8 × 5 1/4 × 3 in.)
- Genre
- Container
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Styles
Tags
religionsenufoislamictin alloylost-wax castingeliteNorthern Africa and the Sahelsacredcontainerstatusafrican Artarts of Africaboxprestigedecorative artsmetalworking
About
One of only two extant examples, this valuable box likely served as a Qur’an container. It is believed to be the work of an artist of the Jula (or Dyula) culture, an ethnic group of nomadic Muslim merchants who live in Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ghana. The production of such a refined metal object reflects the spread and impact of Muslim culture in this vast area of West Africa since the 14th century.