Bambara Ceramic Vessel, Mali

Stripes and cross-hatching, painted around a belly like a barrel hoop.

Bambara potters of Mali, West Africa, made this terra cotta vessel in the 19th century. Large clay jars of this kind were commonly used to store and carry water or grain, and some are associated with ritual use. A flared neck rises over a wide shoulder, with raised bands and small lugs at the waist. Faded red and ochre bands run in stripes and hatched panels, and the lower body is bare, scuffed clay with a small dark spot near the base.

About 17 inches tall. It will hold dried branches, or an argument about where to put it.