Utilitarian Vessel (Dinka People, Uganda)

This minimally embellished vessel with generous convex form is designed and hand constructed from terra-cotta clay by the Dinka People of Uganda. It is marked at the top by a wide, beveled opening followed by a row of concentric circles. The container is subtly sculpted in banana shaped curves and is intended for beer fermentation and consumption. Much of the pottery that has been identified as Ugandan, Rwandan, and western Kenyan is blackened to a dark brown finish, as is this vessel, which resembles a dark wood. “Indeed, containers of this shape are also constructed of hardwood in this region and are employed to hold a variety of liquids.”

REFERENCES: Dawson, Douglas. 2009. Chicago: Douglas Dawson Gallery.