Water Transport Jar

1900s

Africa, West Africa, Nigeria, Nupe-style pottery, unknown female potter

Medium

Terracotta

Measurements

Diameter: 35.7 cm (14 1/16 in.); Overall: 36.9 cm (14 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

John L. Severance Fund 1995.210

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

The shape of this vessel probably developed from real gourds used to hold liquids.

Description

The Nupe, an Islamic people from northern Nigeria, embellish pottery and metalwork with intricate, nonrepresentational patterning. A female potter built this vessel by joining two bowls into a globe shape, then adding the neck. After drying, she used shells to press in designs before burnishing the exterior to a high shine. Finally, she fired the gourd-shaped vessel in a furnace. The patterns beautify and allow a firm grip when lifting the vessel. As the Gwari and Nupe people are neighbors, pottery shapes and designs often transferred between them. Look for similar zigzags and concentric lines on the nearby Gwari-inspired vessels.