South African Design: Past & Present

Timed Online Auction, 13 June - 9 July 2025

Interior Elements: Wood, Metal, Fibre, Ceramic & Glass Art
About the Session

This sale traces the heritage of South African design across centuries of creative expression highlighting diverse design objects through two sessions. Uniting the sessions is a celebration of the versatility of materials - metal, wood, glass, clay, fibre - and how artists and artisans have transformed them over time into works of wonder, rich in both tradition and innovation.


Sold for

ZAR 3 283
Lot 74
  • Unrecorded artist, Zulu Peoples; Zulu beer basket, 1987


Lot Estimate
ZAR 1 500 - 2 000
Selling Price
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
ZAR 3 283
Location
Johannesburg
Delivery
Additional delivery charges apply
Shipping
Condition Report
May include additional detailed images

About this Item

Hluhluwe, KwaZulu-Natal 20th century
Zulu beer basket, 1987
Hyphaene coriacea palm for both wrapping and core materials with 'Shields of Shaka' design
28cm high, 24cm diameter

Notes

The basket design here references 'Shields of Shaka'. The coiling technique uses close, simple over-sewing over one coil, using bundles of palm leaf strips for the core. The lid is created with close simple over-sewing over many coils to create a smooth flat surface that can be easily inserted into the mouth of the basket. The black colour is achieved when the palm leaves are boiled with Euclea divinorum root bark and then soaked in mud for several days.

- Dr Elizabeth Terry

Provenance

Dr Elizabeth Terry Collection.

View all Unrecorded artist, Zulu Peoples lots for sale in this auction