Dogon Ceramic Vessel, Mali

Cream shoulders, rust-colored belly, and a rim with a small chip.

Dogon potters of Mali, West Africa, fired this terra cotta jar in the 20th century. Large round pots like this are commonly used to hold water, which stays cool in porous clay. The upper half is slipped pale and incised with bands of fine lines and a few short dashes. The lower half is a warm rust orange, scuffed and chalky. A flared neck with a rounded lip sits above the broad, heavy shoulder.

About sixteen inches tall and nineteen wide. Rustic, and entirely unbothered.