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Storage Container

A work made of terracotta.

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  • A work made of terracotta.

Date:

Early/mid–20th century

Artist:

Mossi
Burkina Faso
Northern Africa and the Sahel

About this artwork

This sturdy storage container, which is believed to be Mossi, has an engaged foot and walls that have been textured using a twisted-fiber roulette. The vessel’s only other embellishment is a meandering band of thick, notched lines that wraps around the shoulder in alternating vertical and horizontal groups.
Tall, cylindrical storage containers are a regular feature in traditional homes of the arid western Sahel and savanna region. Lines up in rows in the kitchen, they hold the life-sustaining grains—primarily millet, sorghum, and, more recently, corn—that are grown in the short rainy season that lasts from June until September. They also safeguard other dry goods such as peanuts or okra, as well as personal valuables, from clothing and jewelry to money. [See also 2005.226, 2005.286 and 2005.287].

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Africa

Culture

Mossi

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.

1900–1975

Medium

Terracotta

Dimensions

64.1 × 33.7 cm (25 1/4 × 13 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Keith Achepohl

Reference Number

2006.745

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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