Cutting Board
amarro people, Ethiopia
Early 20th century
H: 21" x W: 7" x D: 4 1/4"
Patrick Mextdagh, Brussels
Price on request

The Ethiopian meat cutting board represents aesthetic perfection, and it is also a first-rate conceptual object; essentially a female prayer for meat and prosperity. The cutting table is in the form of a many teated abstract animal. This is real woman's magic that corresponds and abets the male roles of hunter, herder, and provider of meat (protein). Remember, this piece comes from a semi-arid area where famine and poverty are always close at hand. Even the years of age, wear, and cutting have given the animal a twist, and adds something special to the entire conception.