Chamba Vessel Depicting a Female

She looks straight up, mouth open, hands resting on a body the shape of the moon.

This vessel depicting a female is Chamba, from Nigeria in West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is terra cotta. Figural pots from the Benue region of Nigeria are generally linked to healing and to spirits, though their specific uses vary among peoples. The large round body rises to a short neck and an upturned face. The open mouth forms the vessel's spout. Two small hands with incised fingers rest high on the sides, and the dark surface shows faint scrapes of red clay. Twenty-five inches high and 18 across.

Few pots make their intentions quite this clear. Few have this much to say.