Tunisian Bowl from Sejnane 20th c.

Tunisian ceramic bowl from Sejnane (d 17,5 cm, XX century). 130km North-West of Tunis, the village of Sejnane sits on a green plain of hedgerows and villages. For centuries, women in Sejnane have been making pottery. It is a skill that has been passed on for generations from mother to daughter. The techniques used to create pottery made here date back thousands of years. The clay is shaped by hand, then decorated with traditional motifs. The items are baked on open fires in the yards of the houses. The decorative patterns on the vessels all have symbolic meanings. The stylized triangles on this bowl symbolize fertility (private collection, Athens, Greece).