Mangbetu Figurative Wine Vessel

Palm wine, poured from a head, in a court that valued such things.

Mangbetu potters of the Democratic Republic of Congo became known for vessels topped with human heads, which held palm wine and were prized as display pieces at court and later by visitors to the region. This one was made in the 20th century and stands twelve and a half inches tall. A globular body rises to a long neck and a finely modeled face with full lips and incised brows. The elongated, flaring coiffure the Mangbetu were admired for is covered in rows of tiny impressed dots. A beaded collar circles the neck.

The surface is dark, burnished, with a soft sheen. Serve something worth the vessel.