Senufo Terra Cotta Vessel

Thirty-three inches of Ivory Coast clay, built coil upon coil by hand.

The Senufo potters who made this vessel in the 20th century were traditionally women, and jars of this scale held water, grain and other household stores. It has a full ovoid body and a wide, flaring mouth. A band of fine rouletted texture circles the base of the neck, another wraps the widest part of the body, and a short vertical dotted ridge runs down the shoulder. The upper body is burnished to warm reddish brown, deepening to dark, smoky tones below.

A floor piece, plainly. Clear a space and let it stand.