African potters--primarily women--handbuild a variety of vessels that they embellish with beautiful colors, designs and motifs before firing them at low temperatures. Containers made for daily use hold water or serve as cooking utensils. They also make vessels to be used in special ceremonies or that become part of an assemblage of objects placed in a shrine. The pronounced carinated shoulder that divides the upper and lower portions of the container into symmetrical halves is typical of vessels from southeastern Tanzania. In addition, a blackish gray coating, possibly graphite, around the rim of the vessel creates a pattern that has both curvilinear and straight elements. A reddish brown band on the rest of the vessel's upper half produces a refined and subtle color variation that emphasizes the bowl's form. The bottom half of the vessel is coated with the black coloring and displays no discernible patterning except perhaps the marks of a scraping instrument used to shape the vessel. The bowl probably contained water or beer.

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This image was originally posted to Flickr by cliff1066™ at https://www.flickr.com/photos/28567825@N03/2923612128. It was reviewed on 27 June 2011 by FlickreviewR and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0.

27 June 2011