Gurunsi Lidded Storage Vessel

Open-fire pottery keeps its secrets. The jar, however, keeps your rice.

The Gurunsi of Burkina Faso made this lidded vessel in the 20th century to store food and household goods. Among them, pots are shaped by hand and fired in the open, and a covered jar kept insects and damp at bay. The round body is burnished reddish-brown, incised with horizontal bands and panels of crossing lines. The domed lid carries a black geometric band. Twisted fiber cords wrap around the body to hold it shut, ending in loose tassels.

About nine inches tall, with visible signs of use. Practical, and charming about it.