simple vases

Featuring a simple, yet striking design, this decorative vase from Ghana is handcrafted of ceramic with looping spiral motifs around the sides. The artisans at Kpando Pottery Fesi Shed design the vase using the wood firing technique, burning sawdust in the kiln to lend the ceramic a charred black color.

After the tradition of Chulucanas ceramics in Peru, Jesús Rivas designs and handcrafts this decorative vase. It features a simple shape, finished with petal, stair, and dot motifs in tones of black and ivory that evoke modern designs. The black color is achieved by firing the vase with mango tree leaves. On the bottom, the artist inscribes his name, the name of his hometown, and the phrase Hecho a mano (made by hand).

Wearing the skin of a jaguar, a young man dances to the sound of an unseen drum as he imitates the movements of the lithe jungle cat. Ruben and Gilda Perez depicts an image from a vase discovered at Altar de Sacrificios, an ancient Maya site locate upriver from Yaxchilan. An offering in Burial 96, the original polychrome vase is crafted of terracotta and on display at Guatemala's Museum of Anthropology and History.

The Guatemalan artisans etch the intricate motifs into natural jade and display the plaque on a black pinewood base.