Azande Ceramic Ceremonial Pot

A face at the top, a body below, and spikes in between.

This ceremonial pot is Azande, from the Central African Republic in Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is terra cotta. Among the Azande and their neighbors, potters made vessels with human features for chiefs and households, to hold water or beer and to show prestige, though records of their use are thin. A tall neck, studded with rows of small cones, rises to a broad head with a long nose and small ringed eyes. Arms wrap the rounded belly on either side of a circular panel. Twenty-three inches high and thirteen in diameter.

It watches the room and has eyes to spare.