Ladi Kwali (Nigerian, circa 1925-1984)Tankard stamped 'L.K.' (to lower rim below the handle); further inscribed 'E.O.E' (around the face of the mug) stoneware 17 x 15.3 x 10.5cm (6 11/16 x 5 1/2 x 3 15/16in). Provenance Acquired directly from the Abuja Pottery Training Centre; A private collection. To the outer face of the present work, an etching of 'E.O.E' has been incised into the oxidised glazing with sgraffito decoration. While it is not explicitly clear what these initials adhere to, they do suggest that this could have been amissioned, personalised work. Etching of letters into pottery work was somewhat a typical practice of Michael Cardew who was appointed as the Senior Pottery Officer at the Abuja Pottery Training Centre. Whilst quite a unique form of decoration for Kwali, it is conceptually consistent with her other designs in that this work was created to signify identity, as also executed in Kwali's most successful water vessels displaying her own cultural identity. This highly shining tankard suggests that it was finished with an Abuja Jun Glaze produced under a high-fired kiln, maintaining its reflective appearance. This type of glazing wasmonly used in the pottery centre due to its aesthetic appeal and visual character. The decorative incising effect holds more of a casual and fluid appearance, this would occur during the firing of the tankard by where the sgfraffito would be slightly distorted, leaving evidence of Kwali's creative and at times experimental process. Bibliography John Edgeler, Michael Cardew and stoneware, continuity and change , (Wincbe: Cotswolds living Publications, 2008)