Milk pail 1900 - 1950

This milk pail was carved by a Zulu artist, and even without knowing when it was made, you can feel the making in it. I mean, you can see the marks of the tools used to shape the wood and create the decorative elements. The surface has this warm, brown tone – almost like it's been burnished or aged by the sun. The horizontal lines are so precise, creating a rhythmic pattern that's pleasing to the eye. And the way the wood is carved around those shapes gives it a tactile quality. I imagine running my hands over the surface, feeling the ridges and grooves. It reminds me of a Brancusi sculpture, you know, something elemental and timeless. Like a conversation through time, this pail connects with other artists, other cultures, and other ways of seeing the world. It invites us to slow down, observe, and appreciate the beauty of simple, functional forms, and maybe to think about what sustains us, physically and spiritually.