Tutsi Wood Pitcher with Handle

One little pointed spout sticks out of a round-bellied dark jug like a nose.

This pitcher with handle is Tutsi, from Rwanda, East Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is wood. The Tutsi are one of the peoples of Rwanda and Burundi, and the region has a long tradition of finely carved wooden vessels. Smooth, glossy and brown-black, the body narrows to a flared, slightly split rim. A straight horizontal spout with an arrow-like tip projects from the shoulder, and the surface shows minor scuffs. It is 10 inches wide, 6.5 deep and 8.5 high.

Proportions that suggest a very serious pour.