Jar

Description

The potters in and around the town of Osogbo are known for their tall, cylindrical jars. This elaborately decorated vessel features a human face at the midpoint of its long neck, which suggests that it was made for a shrine dedicated to the goddess Osun (Mother of Life-Giving Waters), the namesake of the river near Osogbo. It likely held river stones and water.

Provenance

Unnamed owner, New York, N.Y., by 1996; sold to Douglas Dawson Gallery, Chicago, Ill., 1996; sold to Keith Achepohl, Iowa City, Iowa, 1996; given to the Art Institute, 2005.

Jar

Yoruba

Early/mid–20th century

Accession Number

185709

Medium

Terracotta

Dimensions

59.7 × 30.5 × 30.5 cm (23 1/2 × 12 × 12 in.)

Classification

vessel

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Keith Achepohl