Moroccan Berber Terracotta Spouted Vessel

This beautifully decorative spouted bowl is of spherical form with a flattened base and a wide neck. It has a short spout and two handles on each side. Possibly it was used to store olive oil. It is of unglazed earthenware or terracotta. It has not been thrown on a wheel, but made by coiling and shaping the clay by hand.  Such pottery items were made by Berber women in the central-northern part of Morocco. (Pottery items made by men tended to be thrown on a wheel.) In part the designs and colours of the ochre used to decorate the item emulate the patterns on basketry, another craft that was the traditional specialisation of local Berber women.

Such items in earthenware were made to be used, and were used at large family feasts and ritual celebrations.

The spouted bowl here is in fine condition. There is one small chip to the rim but otherwise, the vessel is in fine condition.