Unknown Maker, Zulu

Made from malted or germinated grains—especially barley—and flavored with the flowers of hop plants, beer is consumed around the world, with specific ingredients varying by geography. South African beer traditionally is made with maize and sorghum and fermented in large earthenware vessels, where the sugars convert to alcohol. In the US in the 1800s, stoneware bottles—often stamped with the name of the maker or bottler—were commonly used to store and transport beer.

The technical virtuosity of the unknown Zulu artist who made this pot, the striking decoration, and the fact that the Museum's collection contains very few African ceramic objects of any kind were all considered when a friend of the Museum offered to purchase this jar for RISD. Its universal esthetic appeal was the primary reason for acquiring it. Hand-built from coils of clay, rather than turned on a potter's wheel, it is a remarkably elegant object.