Water or Palm Wine Container

The Nupe make pottery in a region that is rich in interrelated ceramic traditions. This may in part explain the great diversity of forms, but it also makes it difficult at times to distinguish the origins of a piece based solely on its style. This bottle may have come from north of the Nupe region. Its body has a distinctive shape, like two bowls set together and joined at midpoint. From this base rises a narrow, columnar neck with a flared mouth. Deep channels of linear incising are drawn over the surface in alternating directions, giving it a dynamic texture.