Pair of Antique 20th Century Moroccan Berber Rif Mountain Terracotta Water Jars

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These jars were handmade by indigenous Amazigh (Berber) women living in rural tribal communities throughout the Rif Mountains of northern … Read more These jars were handmade by indigenous Amazigh (Berber) women living in rural tribal communities throughout the Rif Mountains of northern Morocco.

The Clay: The women mine the raw clay themselves from local mountain deposits, processing and purifying it by hand.The Paint: The dark, primitive lines and tribal motifs were drawn using a handmade brush made of goat hair. The pigment itself is made from ground manganese, a natural dark mineral.The Firing: These jars were not baked in a modern enclosed kiln. They were fired using a primitive open-air bonfire or pit-firing method. The dark, mottled soot marks and charred gray patches visible on the bellies of your jars are authentic "fire kisses"—the direct result of wood and brush smoke touching the raw clay during the outdoor baking process

One vase is just over 25 inches tall, the other is 24 inches tall. There are some rose colored hues to the clay in places. See less