Mambila Figurative Vessel Depicting a Parrot

A parrot sits on a clay globe and considers the view.

Mambila potters of Cameroon, Central Africa, made this figurative vessel depicting a parrot in terra cotta in the 20th century. The Mambila are associated with animal imagery in pottery and wood, and bird vessels are commonly kept for household or ritual use. A large round pot supports a bird with a crested head, a hooked beak and folded wings. Traces of red outline the beak and the edge of the body. The clay is a soft brown with a chalky, worn surface.

About fifteen inches tall. Silent, and fine with that.