Since the 20^th century, the Kamba cultures of Kenya have developed a thriving tourist-trade business in hand-carving wooden figures of native African animals. While originally these figures were carved and finished by a single artisan, today these carvings are produced in workshops using an assembly-line style of mass production: The main artisan will carve a basic figure, while an assistant then sands the figure, another assistant polishes the figure, and if the figure is painted, another assistant adds these painted details.

This figure is marked with the original artisan’s initial, the letter P, on the bottom of the left front foot.  This may suggest that this rhinoceros is an earlier figure, when a single artisan completed the sculpture. Another clue that suggests an earlier date for this figure is the lack of a high polish, which is characteristic of the later, assembly-line production of animal figures.

For more information, you may contact the researcher(s) noted in the title of this exhibit entry, or Dr. Billie Follensbee, the professor of the course, at BillieFollensbee@MissouriState.edu