Indonesian Ceramic Vessel

Scratched birds wander around the shoulder of this squat terracotta pot.

This terra cotta vessel from Sumba is from Sumba, Indonesia. Terra cotta is unglazed fired clay, and on Sumba and nearby islands pots are traditionally shaped by hand and fired in open fires rather than closed kilns. Wide, low-bellied jar in matte orange-red clay, with a short neck and a thick rolled rim. Lightly incised outlines of birds and marks decorate the shoulder, and the body shows soft ridges and small dark scuffs. It is 9 inches high and 10 in diameter.

Earthy, rotund, and perfectly happy to be low-slung.