This 'Gwari' casserole was made at the Pottery Training Centre in Abuja, Nigeria, established by Michael Cardew in 1951 at the behest of the colonial British government. Michael Cardew is one of the most important studio potters of the 20th century. The centre in Abuja was intended to modernise the local industry, and though its success in this respect was limited, the work produced there became internationally celebrated. This casserole dish represents a standard line of production, and one which exemplifies Cardew's interest in traditional African pottery, as its form derives directly from local Gwari cooking pots.