Posted 7 years ago
hennad2
(3 items)
Can anyone tell me where these pots originated? All came from well-to-do estates. Smaller two from an estate 5 years ago. The larger I just acquired, but came from the same high class gated community. Thank you for any information.
This pottery is African, a traditional style of pottery made by Berber women in Morocco.
It's frequently mistaken for 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. The thin black line X and M borders, often filled in with black cross-hatching, are one of the main identifying features of Berber pottery. The shapes of the pots made are also unlike the southwest pueblo pottery that they resemble, featuring water jugs with long necks and small rounded handles.
If you would like a reference, I would recommend the book "Imazighen, The Vanishing traditions of Berber Women" by Margaret Courtney-Clarke.