Bura ceramics

Bura vessel (Tillaberi region, Niger)

While Europe was immersed in the Middle Ages, some states began to develop in the Sahel whose strength lay in the exchange of raw materials with merchants from the north. The kingdoms of Wagadú (also known as Ghana), Soso, Mali or Songhai would take place between the 5th and 13th centuries AD. throughout the Niger River basin, developing an artistic activity that has reached us with pieces made of iron, stone and, above all, terracotta. Some of these artistic centers, such as that of Djenné, were associated with the inland river delta; others were further east, such as the one known as the Bura culture. This civilization modeled in clay ritual objects associated with funerary or fertility cults, such as urns, thuribles, equestrian figurines or phallic artifacts, but, as expected, they also manufactured vessels for daily use. The Bura terracotta that we offer is a "bottle" type vessel with a narrow mouth, well-defined lip, not very long neck (4 cm), almost spherical body and rounded bottom that was probably made by female hands to contain liquids.

Height: 34cm; Ø: 27 cm.