Bamana
Mali
Northern Africa and the Sahel
Water Container (Jidaga)
INV-1856
Bamana
Mali
Northern Africa and the SahelEarly/mid–20th century
Water Container (Jidaga)
Bamana Mali Northern Africa and the Sahel →bamanaArts of AfricaNorthern Africa and the Sahelafrican Artvesselarts of Africa
Date
Early/mid–20th century
Medium
Blackened terracotta
Dimensions
48 × 44 × 44 cm (18 15/16 × 17 3/8 × 17 3/8 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Keith Achepohl
Bamana tradition dictates that only the wives and daughters of blacksmiths have the right to make pots. Water containers, which are prominently displayed in a family compound, are among the most decorative and individualized of their wares. The potter begins by forming the vessel’s base over a convex mold. Coils are then added to complete the walls and lip. Raised embellishment, like that seen on this water container, is no longer common. Here a series of abstract lizards stretches across the vessel’s entire expanse.
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