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HOME :
African & Tribal Art :
African Pottery : Djenne Terracotta Pyriform Vase
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Djenne Terracotta Pyriform Vase - PF.2449
Origin: Central Mali
Circa: 12
th
Century AD
to 14
th
Century AD
Dimensions:
13.5" (34.3cm) high
x 6.375" (16.2cm) wide
Collection: African
Medium: Terracotta
$1,800.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
This beautiful ceramic vase was created by
skillful artisans in the Republic of Mali. At the
time of its creation the Empire of West African
Mali was at its zenith. The famous chronicler Ibn
Battuta, a berber theologian from Tanger who
spent a year in Mali, writes that he was overcome
with amazement over the a wealth of the Mansa
Musa court of Mali, whose grandeur at the time
was equal only to that of the Mongul empire.
Djenne, one of the prospering cities at that time,
also reaped the bounty of the rivers Nile and
Bani, since it was strategically located at the
confluence of these two waterways. An accessible
and plentiful gift of the rivers was the ceramic
grit, a material that was worked by local artisans
in a skillful and sensitive fashion. The result of
these efforts was the creation of terracotta
pottery that is truly distinguished in the world of
ceramic art. Here we see a striking example of
the Djenne artistry in this handsome vase. With
its pear-shaped body, long slender neck with
incised bands, and small curved mouth we
experience a vase whose fine proportions truly
please the eye. Our tactile senses are also
stimulated by the feel of the vessel's smooth,
highly burnished reddish-brown surface. Truly a
sensory delight, this lovely vase connects us in a
most spirited manner with an African empire
whose wealth and splendor at one time were
quite legendary.
- (PF.2449)
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