Vintage Beaded Maasai Calabash - Kenya - 52.1

A vintage beaded calabash from the Maasai people of Kenya. Made from a naturally dried and hollowed gourd, it was traditionally used to store and cool milk or water, and has taken on a warm, honey-toned patina through years of use.

Bands of traditional Maasai glass beads — white, red and blue, threaded onto leather straps — wrap the body, while older repairs in metal and fine wirework are left on show: in Maasai culture a break is mended with intent rather than hidden. On its own or grouped together, it makes a striking decorative piece with real history.

Approx. dimensions: H 51cm × W 12cm × D 12cm