Zulu Terra Cotta Teapot

Zulu potters have long made big earthenware vessels for brewing, storing and serving beer. Sorghum beer holds a place of real importance in social and ceremonial life.

Here the tradition takes a lighter turn. This terra cotta teapot, by a Zulu potter of South Africa, is dated 2019. The full body is burnished to a deep plum-brown sheen. A spout shaped as a bird’s head rises at one side, with an incised wing sweeping across the flank. A generous loop handle balances it, and the lid is topped by a small bird.

Two birds and a kettle’s worth of manners. Pour accordingly.