Djenne Terra Cotta Vessel

Water, grain, and in time the dead. A big round jar was asked to hold all of it.

This Djenne vessel from Mali was made between the 12th and 17th centuries. Large jars were produced in the Inland Niger Delta to hold water and stores, and they also served in burial practices. This one is nearly spherical, with a narrow flaring neck set on a raised collar at the shoulder. Faint concentric textures ring the neck. The pale tan surface is clouded with grey and black firing marks, with small chips at the rim and patches of wear.

Fourteen inches tall, a foot across. Give it floor space. It will fill it.