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Container for Cosmetic Powder

At the time when this object was dispatched to Stuttgart, in many regions of Namibia, similar cosmetic boxes were used by women, and would often be passed down through the generations along female lines of succession, in some cases to this day. Made from the shell of a small turtle, these private containers for cosmetic, perfumed body powder were sometimes adorned with strings of beads made from various materials (in this case glass and metal) strung on leather cords. The object may have been attached to a waist belt. Text: Sandra Ferracuti.

Data Provider
Linden-Museum Stuttgart Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde
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Cataloguing data

Cultural attribution
Bergdama
Object type
Dose
Dimensions
Länge: 9 cm, Breite: 7 cm
Material/Technique
Putty, Turtle shell, Glass , Iron , Leather
Forged, pierced, threaded, knotted
Current location
Linden-Museum Stuttgart
Inventory number
036896 e

Provenance and sources

when
around 1900 or earlier

where
Namibia

when
1904
Provenance
Albert Hoffa was himself born in Richmond (South Africa). Even after moving to Germany, he maintained contact with his family in South Africa, including his sister Harriet. The objects from "German South-West Africa" may have been acquired in part through these contacts, but most were probably acquired through his friend Dr. Anton Lübbert (as in the case of Hoffa's brother-in-law Ferdinand Bang). Lübbert also procured the four "Benin bronzes" contained in the collection from the previous owner Adolph Heemke from Geestemünde. Heemke himself was a merchant in West Africa. Text: Christoph Rippe.

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