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Ritual Vessel
Inland Niger Delta (Northern Africa and the Sahel)
12th /17th century
- Medium
- Terracotta
- Classification
- Vessel
- Dimensions
- 29.3 × 12.1 × 12.1 cm (11 1/2 × 4 3/4 × 4 3/4 in.)
- Culture
- Mali
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of Africa
- Credit line
- Purchased with funds provided by Claire B. Zeisler
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Teens profiles and older: its museum says too little about what it shows to place it for younger viewers. How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
Research suggests that the ancient potters of Mali’s Inland Niger Delta region were at least part-time specialists and were women, as are the potters in the region today. It is likely that they created wares for domestic and ritual use, including figural sculptures in clay. This cylindrical vessel was likely made for ritual use considering the close attention to decorative detail that it displays and the relative rarity of flat-bottomed containers from the region. Delicately incised lines complement the raised and inset rings at the vessel’s neck and waist.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
