Bambara Wedding Vessel with Turtle Motif

A turtle crawls across the shoulder. Slowly. It has all the time there is.

In Bambara communities, pottery was traditionally made by women, and vessels of this size stored water and grain, with finer pieces associated with marriage and other important occasions. This terra cotta wedding vessel from Mali dates to the 18th century or earlier. The jar is large and rounded, sixteen inches tall on a low foot, with a short slightly flared neck. The turtle is modeled in relief, framed by raised ridges and bands of fine impressed crosshatching.

The surface runs from reddish-brown to silvery gray, with darker smoke marks from firing. Few jars have such patient company.