Djenne Ceramic Vessel, Mali

A plain pear of a pot, its rim rolled over like a cuff.

This vessel is Djenne, from Mali, West Africa, and dates to the 12th to 17th century. It is terra cotta. The inland Niger Delta around Djenne-jeno was home to one of the oldest urban centers south of the Sahara, and its potters made everything from grand figures to everyday jars like this one. The body swells out generously from a narrow shoulder and settles on a rounded base. The surface is a mottled mix of grey and salmon, with patches of paler slip worn away. It is 7.5 inches high and 5.25 in diameter.

Centuries old, and still exactly the right shape for water.