This jar comes from the Bura culture, a civilisation that flourished between the 3rd and 13th centuries AD in the lower Niger River valley of Niger and Burkina Faso. It is named after the archaeological site of Bura, found in the Tillabéry region in southwest Niger. In Niamey, the capital of Niger, the necropolis of Bura-Asinda-Sikka was discovered in 1975. This site was excavated in the early 1980s and revealed evidence of burial, dwelling, and ritual activity. Artefacts made of terracotta, iron, and stone were discovered, including several anthropomorphic urns. These were found upside down, with human remains either inside or below them.

This large jar is decorated with certain anthropomorphic features. Its round bulbous body narrows into a large neck, which then widens again into a spout. Where the body begins to narrow into the neck, there is a line of shell shapes which goes around the circumference of the jar. This line is interrupted by two pointed shapes extending at the front of the jar. The central section is decorated with several lines of pointed pattern, with a vertical line of shell shapes down the left edge, and with a pointed phallus at the bottom. To the right of the central section there are four groups of three shorter lines of the pointed pattern. To the left there is a small raised image of a human arm, enclosed within a curving diagonal line of the pointed pattern.

The effort that went into the decoration of this jar implies that it was created to store something of importance. A comparison with other jars from this culture suggests that it may have been intended to contain human remains. In some prehistoric cultures, shells were assigned significant social importance and sometimes used as currency, so the use of shells as decoration on this artwork may imply that the owner wanted to portray themselves as wealthy.