<I>Untitled (Cowrie)</I>
date: label: Date
content: 2011-2012
name: label: Created by
content: Simone Leigh, American, born 1967
notes: label: Description
content: A glazed, terracotta stoneware sculpture by Simone Leigh. The roughly egg-shaped piece is sculpted to resemble a large cowrie shell; with the flat ventral face forming the top of the sculpture, and the rounded dorsal face forming the bottom. The sculpture is uniformly coated with a dark, bluish gray glaze. The top portion of the sculpture has a textured surface covered in small, raised, irregular dots, and the bottom has a smooth surface. At the top center is a narrow aperture that extends from the thinner anterior end of the sculpture to the broader posterior end, between opposing rows of jagged teeth. The anterior end of the shell features a circular opening and the posterior end features a thin slit. On the bottom of the sculpture are areas of small losses and patches of white and blue glaze adhered to the surface. The interior is tan with brown speckles.
place: label: Place made
content: Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Art
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Visual Arts
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2023.117.4
objectType: label: Type
content: terracottas
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: © Simone Leigh
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: glazed terracotta stoneware
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 6 7/8 × 15 3/4 × 7 7/8 in. (17.5 × 40 × 20 cm)