Djenne Ceramic Vessel with Handles

White rosettes ring the holes in its shoulder, as if someone decided to make the air vents festive.

This vessel with handles is Djenne, from Mali, West Africa, and dates to the 12th – 17th C. It is terra cotta. The terra cotta of the Inland Niger Delta is known mainly from excavated pieces, and household and ritual vessels are often difficult to tell apart. This round-bodied pot has a wide rim, two short lug handles and a small ring foot. The upper half is slipped a deep red, the lower left a pale buff. Around the shoulder, small circular openings are each ringed by white dots. It is 12 inches wide, 10 deep and 7.75 high.

Practical in shape, cheerful in its details.