Cave Painted Gourd with Top

This is a large gourd grown from African stock. It is made into a box by sewing thin wood strips onto the gourd and fitting the two bands together before sewing it to the lid. The colorant is leather dye, the patchy appearance is due to the natural surface of the gourd. Since the picture was taken it has been wood burned with two horses and the bold red contrasts smartly with the black images. This is about 16 inches.