Zaramo Terra Cotta Figurative Vessel

Along the Tanzanian coast, the Zaramo gave their pots faces.

This terra cotta vessel, made in the 20th century, was meant for use in the household and in ceremony. A domed head with large rounded ears and a heart-shaped face sits on a short ringed neck. The eyes are pierced, and the round, open mouth serves as the spout.

Below, the globular body swells outward with a raised navel and a band of finely incised crosshatching across the shoulders. The brown burnished surface is softly mottled, all fourteen and a half inches of it.

Pour from the mouth. It is the obvious place.