Gurage Mukecha or Coffee Grinding Vessel

Pale pestle, black pot, and a lopsided bulge on the side for character.

This mukecha or coffee grinding vessel is Gurage, from Ethiopia, East Africa, and dates to the 19th century. It is wood. Carved wood is valued for vessels of this kind because it is sturdy, relatively easy to work, and does not break easily under repeated pounding. Heavy dark vessel with a stepped base and an irregular lump on one side where the wood grew its own way. A slim handle with ringed segments rises from the bore, lighter and weathered, tipped with a rounded knob. It is 8 inches wide, 8 deep and 7.5 high.

Imperfect on purpose, or perhaps just stubborn.