Jar
Yoruba
1900–1975
- Medium
- Terracotta
- Dimensions
- 59.7 × 30.5 × 30.5 cm (23 1/2 × 12 × 12 in.)
- Genre
- vessel
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Styles
Tags
jaryorubamodeling (forming)shrinesHumanvesselriverswaterterracotta (sculpture)conatinerceramicsafrican Artarts of AfricaCoastal West Africaritual objectsgoddessesceramichand-modelingfacesterracotta
About
The potters in and around the town of Osogbo are known for their tall, cylindrical jars. This elaborately decorated vessel features a human face at the midpoint of its long neck, which suggests that it was made for a shrine dedicated to the goddess Osun (Mother of Life-Giving Waters), the namesake of the river near Osogbo. It likely held river stones and water.
