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HOME :
African & Tribal Art :
African Pottery : Djenne Terracotta Pyriform Vase
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Djenne Terracotta Pyriform Vase - PF.2450
Origin: Central Mali
Circa: 12
th
Century AD
to 14
th
Century AD
Dimensions:
10.25" (26.0cm) high
x 5.625" (14.3cm) wide
Collection: African
Medium: Terracotta
$1,600.00
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 Tangier who
spent a year in Mali, writes that he was overcome
with amazement over the wealth of the Mansa
Musa court of Mali, whose grandeur at the time
was equal only to that of the Mongol Empire.
Djenne, one of the prospering cities at that time,
also reaped the bounty of the Nile and Bani
Rivers, 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 graceful long neck, pyriform body
and delicately incised wide rim we experience a
vase whose fine proportions truly please the eye.
Our tactile senses are also stimulated by the feel
of the vessels smooth, highly burnished reddish-
brown surface. Truly a sensory delight, this
lovely vase connects us in a most spirited
manner with a civilization whose wealth and
splendor at one time were quite legendary.
- (PF.2450)
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