African Mangbetu Terracotta Ceremonial Jug

The Mangbetu people focused on highly realistic art forms. From the spout formed to look like hair, through the face, and down to the gourd shaped base, this jug seamlessly transitio...

Receiving guidance from tribal ancestors was a central aspect of the Luba people's spiritual practices. This ceramic spiritually significant vessel is topped with a crossed leg figure whose head has an opening critical for a divination ritual. Known as an mboko, this handled vessel would have been filled with items like antelope horns, shells, dried beetles, human teeth...

The Nupe people of Nigeria were touted as some of the finest ceramicists in Africa. Everyday objects, like this elegant, cylindrical vessel support, received detailed attention. This flaring terra cotta form would have been buried halfway in the ground, in a Nupe home, and used as a stable base for a stack of traditional round pots...

The Borana Oromo people of southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya are historically a cattle-keeping culture, and each household keeps a number of traditional vessels for storing and ch...

Early 20th century Mangbetu chief's pot, from DR Congo, a distinctive and beautiful anthropomorphic sculpture. This style of terracotta pot m...

Early carved wood tribally used Mangbetu ritual vessel, from the Congo, Africa. Ritual vessel in the form of a wood pitcher with handle, expressive face with scarifications, organic ...

Very beautiful and well-preserved vintage terracotta vessel with removable lid from the Congo region, Bakongo ethnic group. The fine decoration is partly engraved, but also modeled - houses, birds, fish, lins, small chain links and knots can be found on the outer wall of the object. The object has an elegant shape and captivates with its natural appearance. The Bakongo (plural, also Congo, singular Mukongo) are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group in the Congo River estuary in Central Africa, mainly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Congo-Kinshasa), the Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) and the neighboring areas of Angola (Zaire Province and Uíge Province) including Cabinda and Gabon.Their total number is over 5 million...

This vessel is a striking example of anthropomorphic design, clearly incorporating human characteristics into its form. The upper section features a finely detailed human face, compl...