Gurunsi Ceramic Water Vessel

A basket pattern pressed into clay, then fired until it behaved like stone.

Gurunsi potters of Burkina Faso, West Africa, made this water vessel in terra cotta in the 19th century. Rounded clay jars like this are commonly associated with carrying and storing water, which they keep cool through evaporation. A flaring rim opens onto a short neck, and a band of incised lattice runs around the shoulder. Below it the body is finely textured, and the whole surface has aged to a dark, smoky brown with a soft sheen.

About 14 inches high and 14 inches across. Serious enough to anchor a hall table.