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This striking, vintage South African studio ceramic sculpture is an ethnographically significant work by artist Elizabeth Rowland, hand-modeled in East London, South Africa, in 1979.
The sculpture intimately portrays a young Xhosa maiden from the historical black village of Brakfontein, located within the Ciskei region of the Eastern Cape. Modeled entirely from local raw clay, the figure depicts an eighteen-year-old woman positioned traditionally, reflecting indigenous Xhosa courtship customs recorded during the mid-to-late 20th century.
The artist displays a masterful command of detail, capturing realistic skin tones, delicate features, and highly precise cultural adornments. The maiden is adorned with intricately hand-painted underglazes that replicate traditional, layered Xhosa beadwork collars and homemade jewelry. She wears a beautifully rendered, high-waisted isikhakha (traditional Xhosa skirt) characterized by its prominent horizontal black and orange-brown stripes, which has been open-modeled to showcase the specific cultural draping used when seated.
Accompanied by its original, highly detailed typewritten anthropological narrative card from the artist’s studio, this piece stands as both a rare work of fine art pottery and an important visual document of indigenous Southern African heritage.
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