Djenne Terra Cotta Vessel

Round as a ball, with a short neck and blotches of rusty red.

This terracotta vessel is Djenne, from Mali, West Africa. It is terra cotta. Vessels of fired clay have been used across West Africa for storing water and grain, cooking and ceremony, and their surfaces are often textured with incised or impressed patterns. Globular jar with a narrow rolled collar and a smooth, sandy body. Patches of brick-red pigment cling to the surface in streaks and flecks, and the lower belly shows scuffs and pale bare spots. It is 6.25 inches high and 6.5 in diameter.

Perfectly round and cheerfully unfinished-looking, which suits it.