Songye Ceramic Vessel, Democratic Republic of Congo

The neck grows long, and then a face appears at the top, as if to check on things.

This vessel is Songye, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, dates to the 20th century, and is terra cotta. Potters across Central Africa have long added heads and faces to vessels, a practice that is often read as giving the pot a presence of its own. A squat round body narrows into a tall neck capped by a small head with ears, a pointed nose and parted lips. An incised band of zigzag runs around the shoulder. The clay is a warm tan, darkened and crusted near the neck. It is 4.5 inches wide, 9.5 high and 4.5 in diameter.

Few jugs are this attentive.