Provenance research seeks to unravel the history of an object. Sometimes, exceptionally interesting stories are connected to the humblest of objects, like this small, chipped 19th century pot with black spots. In this Collection Story we follow the surprising history of this humble pot from Lesotho tracing its route to the Wereldmuseum Leiden.
Author: François Janse van Rensburg
Provenance research is especially important when looking into looted objects or those requested for restitution to their countries of origin. However, these are not the only reasons why it is important for museums to research the provenance of their collections. Sometimes the most interesting stories are attached to the humblest of objects. This blog post highlights provenance research into a seemingly unremarkable object and shows both the process and the potential of provenance research.
This small reddish-brown pot with black spots is not much to look at. The pot shows signs of its age and wear and tear: it is chipped in several places and scuffed on the bottom. Its story and its long journey from Lesotho to Leiden makes it one of the most interesting pieces in the Southern African collection at the Wereldmuseum.
The pot arrived at what is now Wereldmuseum Leiden on 5 August 1869 as part of a collection of ca. 200 objects from around the world. This collection came from the British Museum which had exchanged doubles from its Christy collection with doubles of objects kept by the museum in Leiden. At the time, museums often expanded their collections with exchanges like this. The British Museum did not provide any information about the pot except that it was ‘a clay bowl for holding milk, etc.’ and was made by Basotho people in South-Africa. So, where did the pot come from?
The Christy collection was established by the wealthy British businessman and world traveller Henry Christy (1810-1865). After his death, his collection was donated to the British Museum and became one of its most important collections. Christy had travelled to many different countries, but never to Lesotho or South Africa. So, where did he get the Southern African objects from?
One possibility is that it was not collected by Christy at all since the British Museum added objects to the collection after his death. Another possibility is that Christy bought the object. A large number of objects were purchased by Christy at the International Exhibition held in London in 1862. The 1862 exhibition was one of the first world's fairs which are large exhibitions designed to showcase the achievements of the countries participating, especially European empires.
Could this object be from the 1862 International Exhibition? The British Natal Colony (now a part of South Africa) had an entire section at the exhibition. An image of the Natal Court in The Illustrated London News shows many Southern African objects, including some pots that appear to be similar to this one.
The Natal Court at the International Exhibition of 1862 in London, pots are visible on the left side. Gravure by Thomas Harrington Wilson. The International Exhibition, View in the Natal Court https://archive.org/details/sim_illustrated-london-news_1862-07-05_41_1152/page/20/mode/2up
One visitor to the International Exhibition, Duncan Macdonald, also noticed those pots and described them as follows: ‘Two or three articles of red pottery ware, which belonged to the famous Moshesh, are surprisingly excellent in quality. There is a smoothness and finish about them which proves considerable proficiency in the art.’ A similar pot ‘of light-brown earthenware with a few black cloudings’ is kept by the British Museum and is also described as being ‘from Moshesh’. Given that the object kept at Museum Volkenkunde is from the same collection, it seems plausible that this pot shares the same provenance. But can this be proven?
Fortunately, the commissioner of the Natal Court, R.J. Mann, wrote a catalogue for the exhibition which describes ‘The articles marked with the prefix B...are a contribution made to the Exhibition by the renowned Basuto Chief, Moshesh, and sent down to the Natal Government in his name...B324 Milk Vessels of [fine Basuto earthenware].’
So, if this pot is from the International Exhibition of 1862 maybe it still has an inventory number from 1862 on it? Careful examination of the pot revealed a faint pencil inscription still visible on the side with the number…B324, just like in the catalogue. Therefore, it is possible to attribute the object based on the fact that the number B324 is still visible on the pot nearly 160 years later!
So, who is this ‘famous’ and ‘renowned’ Moshesh? This is a reference to Moshoeshoe I (ca. 1786-1870) the founder and first king of Lesotho. During the 19th-century much of the interior of Southern Africa was enveloped by war as various groups vied for power and territory amid the pressure of colonial expansion by Europeans.
In this time Moshoeshoe emerged as one of the most brilliant and influential figures in the history of the region. Moshoeshoe settled high in the Maloti (in Sesotho) or Drakensberg (in Afrikaans) mountains. Here, he provided safe harbour to refugees fleeing from war and founded the nation of Basutoland, now called Lesotho. Moshoeshoe negotiated with British and Dutch-speaking Boers and established trade with them to acquire the guns and products necessary to protect his people’s independence and prosperity. In 1861, the government of the British Natal Colony sent J.M. Howell, an English magistrate, to visit Moshoeshoe to acquire objects for the exhibition. Moshoeshoe agreed and gave Howell a number of objects, including this pot, to be exhibited.
Moshoeshoe I and his ministers, Bensusan Museum. Photographer and date unknown. Wikimedia Commons
The pot has an unusual place in the museum’s Southern African collection: an object sent to a 19th century World's Fair by the ruler of an independent African kingdom, rather than by European collectors. Unfortunately, this is not often the case with colonial collection.
This pot and its story are part of the exhibition Unfinished Pasts: return, keep, or...?, at the Wereldmuseum Amsterdam
A series about provenance research in our museum.
