Mambila Ceramic Vessel, Cameroon

A pot with pimples, in the best sense: it is all texture.

Mambila potters of Cameroon, Central Africa, made this terra cotta vessel in the 20th century. Handmade pots on pedestal feet are commonly used for serving, holding water or for ritual offerings. A wide bowl with a thick rim sits on a hollow foot with cut windows. The bowl wall is covered in fine impressed lines and rows of small raised knobs, and a small lug handle sits below the lip. The clay has aged to a dark, earthy brown.

About twelve inches tall. Fruit looks better in it than it does anywhere else.