Bambara Ceremonial Storage Vessel

A snake and a spindly figure climb the side of this jar, and neither is hurrying.

This ceremonial storage vessel is Bambara, from Mali in West Africa, made of terra cotta in the 20th century. Bambara potters, traditionally women, made large jars to hold water, grain and beer, and some served in household or shrine ceremonies, though meanings vary from place to place. The rounded body has a crosshatched surface with raised, rope-like figures applied to it: one with outstretched limbs, one a long wavy line. A ridge circles the lower belly. The flared neck is dark and smooth. Twenty and a half inches high and 16 in diameter.

Whatever went inside, it had company.