Jug Identification

Jug Identification by Brian H. posted Sep 19, 2018 at 11:58 AM

Jug Identification by Brian H. posted Sep 19, 2018 at 11:58 AM

I am trying to figure out the identity of this jug? Any help is greatly appreciated.
It is approximately 13” high by 8” wide
Thanks for any help!

 

Hi, Brian. Can you add some more photos, please? Specifically, the bottom and looking down from the top.

 

Sassafras,
Thanks for your reply. I am traveling at the moment and can’t get the bottom and top pictures but I do have a couple others on my phone.

 

It's African, a traditional style of pottery made by Berber women in Morocco.

It's frequently mistaken for Native American Indian pottery, since it is unglazed, fired with a pit-firing technique, and the colors of the clay and decoration are similar, but the forms are distinctively Berber, as are the design patterns. Thin black line X and M borders, sometimes filled in with black cross-hatching, are a main identifying feature of Berber pottery. The shapes of the pots made are also unlike the southwest pueblo pottery that they resemble, with water jugs with small rounded handles being one of the main forms found.

If you would like a reference, I would recommend the book "Imazighen, The Vanishing traditions of Berber Women" by Margaret Courtney-Clarke. Once in a while Berber pottery shows up on eBay, as well.

 

Taupou,
Thank you so much for your detailed response. I really appreciate it!
Do you have any idea on the approximate age and value?

Thanks again.

 

Sorry, no, I can't tell the age. And the values seem all over the board, probably because there isn't a lot on the market, nor many collectors for the pottery.

I think the best way to be sure to get top value, is to correctly identify it, and include a bit of background as to the history of Berber pottery. I do know it has been almost exclusively produced by women, and that the art appears to be a dying one, as few young women are taking it up.