Dogon Vessel with Raised Geometric Motifs

Little raised studs march in diagonal rows across the shoulder.

This Dogon vessel was made in terra cotta in Mali, West Africa, in the 20th century. Raised pellets and applied ridges on Sahel pottery are often decorative, and are sometimes associated with protective or symbolic patterning. Small studs form triangular groupings around the upper body, with a thin textured pattern between them, and a short flared neck finishes the top. The clay is a pale, sandy peach with faint orange banding and an old, dry surface.

About eighteen inches in height and width. Quiet pattern, big presence.