Dorze Calabash or Vessel, Ethiopia

Orange pot with a bound waist, black patches and a little strap tail.

This incised and painted gourd calabash from the Dorze people is Dorze, from Ethiopia, East Africa, and dates to the 20th century. Gourd vessels are light, durable and well suited to carrying and storing water, milk and grain, which helps explain their wide use across the continent. Captured here is a smooth, round bottomed vessel in bright orange, with a narrower upper bulb incised with triangle bands. A strip of strip wraps the waist and ends in a loose loop. Dark patches and scuffs dot the surface. It is 11.25 inches high and 8 in diameter.

Orange, patched and extremely well handled.