Mangbetu Figurative Wine Vessel

Calm face, lowered eyes, parted lips. This head is about to say something civil.

This Mangbetu wine vessel from the Democratic Republic of Congo was made in the 20th century, terra cotta in the form of a human head and neck rising from a rounded body. Mangbetu artists honored the elongated head and elaborate coiffure that marked elegance and status, and figurative pottery like this was prestige ware. Scarification lines mark the temples, the nose is broad, and the parted lips show teeth. A rounded coiffure is incised in a crosshatched herringbone.

A stamped band circles the neck. Curving grooves and fine texture decorate the body. The dark surface has a gentle sheen. Eleven inches, all dignity.