Bobo Ceramic Vessel, Burkina Faso

Grey crust, rust-red shoulders, and a belly as round as a drum.

Bobo potters of Burkina Faso, West Africa, made this vessel in terra cotta in the 20th century. Large clay pots of this kind are commonly used across the region to store and carry water and grain. Nearly spherical, it narrows to a short collar and an open mouth. A fine incised line circles the upper shoulder, where reddish clay shows through. Below, the surface is mottled in charcoal, ash-white and brown, as if weathered by many seasons.

Twenty-odd inches of rounded clay. Big enough to hold attention, or a bouquet of branches.