Djenne Terra Cotta Vessel

Between the 12th and 17th centuries, in the Inland Niger Delta. Mud, fire, a steady hand.

The Djenne people lived in a region of trade, and Djenne-Djenno and its neighbors were known for ceramics: pots for storing, cooking and ritual, made alongside the famous figurative sculpture. This one is small, five and a half inches tall, with a rounded, slightly squared body and a wide, flaring rim.

One incised line circles the lower body. Traces of reddish slip cling to the pale buff clay, worn and mottled by the years.

Keep it where you keep your reading glasses. Something old should be within reach.