Skip to main content

This auction has ended. View lot details

You may also be interested in

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

Ladi Kwali (Nigerian, circa 1925-1984) Bowl 5.5 x 23 x 23cm (2 3/16 x 9 1/16 x 9 1/16in). image 1
Ladi Kwali (Nigerian, circa 1925-1984) Bowl 5.5 x 23 x 23cm (2 3/16 x 9 1/16 x 9 1/16in). image 2
Ladi Kwali (Nigerian, circa 1925-1984) Bowl 5.5 x 23 x 23cm (2 3/16 x 9 1/16 x 9 1/16in). image 3
Ladi Kwali (Nigerian, circa 1925-1984) Bowl 5.5 x 23 x 23cm (2 3/16 x 9 1/16 x 9 1/16in). image 4
Ladi Kwali (Nigerian, circa 1925-1984) Bowl 5.5 x 23 x 23cm (2 3/16 x 9 1/16 x 9 1/16in). image 5
Lot 25

Ladi Kwali
(Nigerian, circa 1925-1984)
Bowl 5.5 x 23 x 23cm (2 3/16 x 9 1/16 x 9 1/16in).

8 October 2025, 15:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

£3,000 - £5,000

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

How to sell

Looking for a similar item?

Our African Modern & Contemporary Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.

Find your local specialist

Ask about this lot

Ladi Kwali (Nigerian, circa 1925-1984)

Bowl
stamped 'L.K' and 'Abuja' in Arabic (base)
glazed stoneware
5.5 x 23 x 23cm (2 3/16 x 9 1/16 x 9 1/16in).

Footnotes

Provenance
A private collection.

Ladi Kwali began pottery making at six years old and was taught by the women of her family as it was a traditional practice for women of the Gwarin Yamma culture. Joining the Abuja Pottery Training Centre in 1954, Ladi Kwali was already an established potter with the Emir of Abuja already holding a collection of her works. Kwali joined Michael Cardew, the director of the centre, on his European (1962-63) and American (1972) demonstrative and educational tours. The result of her efforts and exposure would lead to her MBE which was awarded to her in 1962 and receiving the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) in 1981. In 1970, she was further awarded an honorary doctorate from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria. Ladi Kwali's image is used on the 20 Naira Nigerian bank note and a major street in Abuja has been named Ladi Kwali Road, emphasising her importance as a historically significant person. Through these acknowledgments and artistic exposure and with a newfound global respect for her practice, Kwali would influence a number of the next generation of potters and artists such as Magdalene Odundo.

Additional information

Bid now on these items

Bertina Lopes(Mozambican, 1924-2012)"Respiro" (Breath)

Bertina Lopes(Mozambican, 1924-2012)"Jazz una forma di musica classica contemporanea che riflette il cosmo prospettico dell'Africa II (da una frase di Harolds Bradley)" (Jazz is a form of contemporary classical music that reflects the cosmos African II perspective (from a phrase by Harold Bradley))

Bertina Lopes(Mozambican, 1924-2012)"Il sole la vita" (The Sun, Life)

Bertina Lopes(Mozambican, 1924-2012)"Ipotese dello continuo" (I'm a fan of the continuous)

Willem Boshoff(South African, born 1951)Neves I & II

Karen Jarosynzka(South African 1934-2014)Quasimodo

Rom Isichei(Nigerian, born 1966)Conversation with my Alter Ego

Anton Karstel(South African, born 1968)Portrait of Ian van Biljoen

Anton Karstel(South African, born 1968)Adderley St

Greg Marinovich(South African, born 1962)

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela(South African, 1918-2013)Left hand

Sophie Mowat(British, born 1988)The Other Bounty

Christine Dixie(South African, born 1966)Hide (To withhold or withdraw from sight)

Glory Samjolly(British, born 1997)Dear Archives

Walter Whall Battiss(South African, 1906-1982)Three Fook Stamps

Alison Turner(British, born 1976)At The Hands Of The Enslaved, Our Society Was Built

Stuart Bird(South African, born 1977)Zuma Biscuits 2 x 5 x 7cm (13/16 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4in). (each) (4)

Neequaye Dreph Dsane(British, born 1973)Dress Code

Gail Deborah Catlin(South African, born 1948)Female nude

Kione Grandison(British, born 1996)Let Us Not Forget

Norman Clive Catherine(South African, born 1949)Fook Dog

Alvin Kofi(British, born 1961)The Longitude Of Culture

Guy du Toit(South African, born 1958)Little Deaths

Kazvare Knox(Zimbabwean, born 1986)Someone's Been Stealing Our Things