Azande Terra Cotta Ceremonial Pot

The Azande potters had Mangbetu neighbors, and apparently some professional pride.

Both made figurative vessels, some for serving drink and others for display and important occasions. This ceremonial pot, from the Central African Republic and the 20th century, stands twenty inches tall. A full, rounded body. A tall cylindrical neck with raised vertical ribs.

From the body a long, sinuous handle springs up to a small human head with a tall, ringed coiffure, and a slender arm reaches from it to grasp the neck. A small boss on the other side balances the form. The surface is dark gray-brown, with a soft, even sheen.

Handles are usually an afterthought. Not here.