Mambila Ceramic Figurative Vessel

A monkey sits atop the globe and takes the high ground.

Mambila potters of Cameroon, Central Africa, made this terra cotta vessel in the 20th century. Figures seated on round pots appear in Mambila earthenware and are often associated with ceremonial use. A crouched, animal-like figure with a tilted head and open mouth squats upon a ball covered in dense raised patterns and dark rings. The arms rest on the knees, and the surface is brown with a grey bloom.

About 15 inches tall. A king of the shelf, by its own appointment.