Tuareg Wood Bowl

Hammered into a dark, glossy bowl with a pebbled surface and one small lug.

This wooden bowl is Tuareg, from West or North Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is wood. The Tuareg are nomadic, Berber-speaking pastoralists of the Sahara and the Sahel, and wooden bowls are among the practical vessels used in their households. Deep, rounded vessel with a nearly black chocolate finish. The outside is covered in rows of small scooped facets that catch the light. A tiny peg-like handle sticks out near the rim, and the lip is thick and even. It is 6 inches high and 11 in diameter.

Dimpled, dark, and much more graceful than a bucket.