Millet beer vessel

Senufo artist

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 341

Clay vessels are produced by an artisanal class of Senufo women whose skills are relayed from mother to daughter. This emphasis on generational continuity is further evidenced in the creative process, during which a new vessel is formed over the base of an older version. Designed to store the staple of fermented millet beer, this vessel may have been the property of a diviner. The serpent, turtle, and lizard figures depicted in relief around the shoulder are powerful intermediaries between the human and spirit realms.

Millet beer vessel, Senufo artist, Terracotta, Senufo peoples

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