Mangbetu Ceramic Figurative Vessel

A round belly, two hands folded over it, and an expression of mild concern.

This figurative vessel is Mangbetu, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century, in terra cotta. Pottery in the northeastern Congo often takes human form, often as objects of prestige and display. Here the pot is a squatting figure whose rounded body forms the belly, arms bent so the fingers meet at the chest. The head juts forward with a long beaklike nose and closed eyes, and a flared lobe rises behind it. It sits on a round base and is 6 inches wide, 7.25 deep and 12.25 high.

Patient, and built to hold whatever is asked of it.