Eduardo Uhart, Paris and Santiago

Pierre Dartevelle (1940–2022), Brussels

Jean-Jacques Rotthier Collection (1932–2009), Brussels, then by descent

Arts d'Afrique noire, 1995, n°94, ill. (advertising Galerie Dartevelle)

Dartevelle (Valérie) & Plisnier (Valentine), Pierre Dartevelle et les Arts Premiers. Mémoire et Continuité, vol. II, 5 Continents, 2021, p. 109, fig. 132

The Rotthier Collection features an exceptional selection of Chokwe mortars, exemplified by this fine example surmounted by a carved equestrian figure.

Tobacco was introduced into Chokwe territory during the seventeenth century through Portuguese trade networks. Initially smoked in pipes, it began to be ground into fine snuff by the eighteenth century. Due to its high cost, tobacco became a luxury reserved for chiefs, elders, and other individuals of elevated social status.

This mortar is adorned with rare European brass tacks, which served as powerful symbols of wealth and prestige. The Chokwe used such finely ornamented vessels during public audiences to offer hospitality to distinguished visitors. Beyond its social function, the consumption of snuff held deep ritual significance. Inhaling or smoking tobacco was believed to bridge the physical and spiritual realms, enabling communication with guardian spirits and the veneration of ancestral lineage.