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Today Open today 11–8

Storage Container

A work made of terracotta.

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  • A work made of terracotta.

Date:

Early/mid–20th century

Artist:

Turka
Burkina Faso
Northern Africa and the Sahel

About this artwork

The Turka, Gouin, and Tusyan peoples of southwest Burkina Faso are closely related to the Senufo, with whom they share a similar language, political structure, and system of belief. These groups can be divided into smaller subgroups, each with unique variations of culture. The southern Tusyan, who live predominantly in and around the town of Toussiana, call themselves the Win, and jars like this—dark in color and decorated by patterned bands applied by roulette—have at times been attributed to them. Such vessels are indeed found in Win homes, where they are often lines up in two rows and used to store grain and sometimes millet beer. This container has a broad mouth for easy access and a thick lip to withstand frequent use. The abrasions on its extremely narrow base suggest that it was set into the earth to stand upright. The potter took this into account in her choice of decoration: she applied the understated, crisscrossing net of roulette-impressed bands only on the upper two-thirds of the body.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Africa

Culture

Turka

Title

Storage Container

Place

Burkina Faso (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1900–1950

Medium

Terracotta

Dimensions

75.6 × 50.8 cm (29 3/4 × 20 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Keith Achepohl

Reference Number

2005.268

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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