Baganda Ceramic Vessel, Uganda

Five clay spouts and one mouth. Somebody expected company.

This vessel is Baganda, from Uganda in East Africa, made of terra cotta in the 20th century. Baganda potters of Uganda made dark, smoke-finished pots for carrying water and serving banana beer in the household, and a many-spouted form like this may have been meant for shared drinking, though its exact use is not certain. Five thick tubes angle out from the shoulder around a wide central neck. The rounded body is pebbled and crossed by fine incised lines. The surface is a dark, sooty brown. It is 16.5 inches high and 20.5 in diameter.

Pouring from it remains an open question.