Notes

On the 2nd of August 1990 Bonnie Ntshalitshali was invited by Juliet Armstrong, then a senior lecturer, to participate as a potter in residence in the Ceramic Studio of the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Natal Pietermaritzburg. Earlier on in the same year Ntshalitshali had been jointly awarded the prestigious Standard Bank Young Artist Award with her mentor and collaborator Fée Halsted.

This self-portrait was produced during her residency at the studio and was acquired by Armstrong the following year once it had been bisque fired. Unlike the wares that she would go on to produce at the Ardmore Studio, this sculptural work has no utilitarian purpose and instead takes it historical cue from the narrative traditions of English ceramics such as the Staffordshire figurines in Halstead’s collection.

As a work of art, this portrait represents the act of creation in Nstalhinstahli’s own self-contained universe. Her awareness of her surroundings is acute; the clay nail heads of her chair have a metallic sheen whilst the clover motifs that highlight her dress are painted to follow the form of her figure. Attentively seated at a table, before her stands pyramid of animals that include Nguni cows, Zebras, Leopards topped by a Vervet Monkey.

With her hands she shapes a triangular arrangement of colourful birds, each joined delicately to the other by the tail whose beaks face outwards, with the closest appearing to gaze curiously up at the figure of its maker. To the right of this busy work surface sits some moulded clay coils, representing the nascent raw material ready for its transfiguration into life. Off to the left, on the opposite side of the table sits a bucket carefully painted with its title, quantity and description.

Ntshalitshali’s signature style, seen in this early rare example, would inspire a generation of potters and bring her international acclaim and most importantly, would help redefine the role, appreciation and possibilities of ceramics in South Africa.

Provenance

Acquired from the potter by Professor Juliet Armstrong. 

Exhibited

Bonakele (Bonie) Ntshalintshali A Memorial Exhibition, Tatham Art Gallery, 17 November 2000 to 11 February 2001, cat no 37. 

On the 2nd of August 1990 Bonnie Ntshalitshali was invited by Juliet Armstrong, then a senior lecturer, to participate as a potter in residence in the Ceramic Studio of the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Natal Pietermaritzburg. Earlier on in the same year Ntshalitshali had been jointly awarded the prestigious Standard Bank Young Artist Award with her mentor and collaborator Fée Halsted. 

This self-portrait was produced during her residency at the studio and was acquired by Armstrong the following year once it had been bisque fired. Unlike the wares that she would go on to produce at the Ardmore Studio, this sculptural work has no utilitarian purpose and instead takes it historical cue from the narrative traditions of English ceramics such as the Staffordshire figurines in Halstead’s collection. 

As a work of art, this portrait represents the act of creation in Nstalhinstahli’s own self-contained universe. Her awareness of her surroundings is acute; the clay nail heads of her chair have a metallic sheen whilst the clover motifs that highlight her dress are painted to follow the form of her figure. Attentively seated at a table, before her stands pyramid of animals that include Nguni cows, Zebras, Leopards topped by a Vervet Monkey. 

With her hands she shapes a triangular arrangement of colourful birds, each joined delicately to the other by the tail whose beaks face outwards, with the closest appearing to gaze curiously up at the figure of its maker. To the right of this busy work surface sits some moulded clay coils, representing the nascent raw material ready for its transfiguration into life. Off to the left, on the opposite side of the table sits a bucket carefully painted with its title, quantity and description. 

Ntshalitshali’s signature style, seen in this early rare example, would inspire a generation of potters and bring her international acclaim and most importantly, would help redefine the role, appreciation and possibilities of ceramics in South Africa.