Nigerian Vessel with Three Openings

A round clay body with two spouts that look slightly surprised.

Calabar potters of Nigeria and Cameroon, West Africa, made this vessel with three openings in terra cotta in the 20th century. Vessels like this are often associated with ritual and ceremonial use in the region, but the form is not fixed. A full, spherical body narrows to a collar of stacked, ribbed bands. Two small flared cups lean out from the top. A rounded mouth sits between them. The surface is a warm brown, matte and lightly scuffed.

About fifteen and a half inches tall. A good object to put in a corner, so that it can watch the door.