Chamba Ceramic Anthropomorphic Vessel

A lopsided egg of fired clay with a nose and an attitude.

Chamba potters of Nigeria, West Africa, formed this anthropomorphic vessel in terra cotta in the 20th century. Chamba face vessels are commonly associated with ritual and domestic practice, and no two read alike. This one is broad and low, tilted like a shrugging shoulder. A sharp triangular nose rises above two faint slits for eyes. The orange-tan clay is mottled, with dark firing clouds along one side and a chalky skin elsewhere.

About 4 by 6 by 7 inches. It rests on a table with the calm of a river stone.