Morocco, Berber / Amazigh, ca. late 19th / early 20th century CE. This is a large water jug with the handles still intact and useable. The red designs on it are minimalist and geometric. Unglazed ceramics from Morocco are usually made in the Rif area of mountainous central Morocco. A pot like this one would have been manufactured to hold water; the transport of water is a necessity in Morocco's desert climate. The production of ceramics is primarily women's industry, and the women who make the pots decorate them with natural paint from plants such as henna. They make the pots without a potter's wheel, instead using a wooden spatula to change the thickness of the walls and a leather strip for polishing the outer walls. Some art historians theorize that the geometric designs on Berber pots originated with the classical and medieval period traders of the Mediterranean and Sahara. Size: 14" x 11" x 8-1/2" at widest diameter excluding handles.

Provenance: Ex-private G. McDonald collection.

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#109888

The jug does not appear to have had any many repairs. There is very minor chipping around the rim and a single small (<1") hole in the neck. There is expected patina and wear on the glaze as well as firing marks. The glaze is dark and in places it is somewhat difficult to see what the original artwork looked like.