Antique Moroccan Terracotta Coastal Olive Jar - Medium

This old jar was found as part of a forgotten cache kept in a local's backyard for decades. After being told that we wouldn't find anything dating from this era, our team discovered a particular gentleman who had been keeping this collection during an expedition in 2019.  These rare jars were used for the preservation of dates and olives. There was that long length of time when olive oil was not processed for export, bottled, and shipped; rather, it was stored in jars designed specifically to keep the oil fresh. These particular olive jars come from desert regions, and we can tell this because of their cylindrical shape and the fact that they aren't glazed. Typically, these would have been buried in the sand to preserve the olives at the market.

This jar measures 22" high, 10.5" wide and 10.5" deep.

Morocco is renowned for its handcrafts, thanks in large part to the patronage of the Almoravid dynasty of the 11^th and 12^th centuries. The ruling class invested heavily into learning and skilled artisans honed techniques that were passed down through generations. Later support from the Marinid sultanate kept the traditions alive as the world became an increasingly global community – or, at the very least, aware of each other. Aesthetically inclined collectors in the surrounding regions made efforts to acquire Moroccan vessels for display in their riads, palazzi and villas.

In cities like Fez, Marrakech, Meknes, and Rabat, ancient technique persists. Over the past several hundred years, Moroccan artisans have produced some of the most lucid and profane household objects in the known world. Casa Berbere has assembled a choice collection of chic Moroccan objects that elevate a space’s savoir-vivre, that conjure the wafting scent of open-air spice barrels and the sultry tangerine melodies of ancient medinas beneath an altar of fantastically thin palm trees.