Djenne Long-Necked Vessel

A long neck, a round belly and patches of old red slip that come and go like weather.

This long-necked vessel is Djenne, from Mali, West Africa, and dates to the 12th – 17th century. It is terra cotta. The inland Niger Delta around Djenné is known for an ancient urban culture whose potters made a wide range of vessels alongside the celebrated terracotta figures. This bottle has a nearly spherical body that rises into a tall, slender neck, flaring at the mouth into a rolled lip. The surface is a soft gray mottled with remnants of red slip, heaviest around the shoulder. It is 11.5 inches high and 7 in diameter.

Elegant proportions, kept for a very long time.