Ghanaian Terra Cotta Standing Figure, Based

Four inches high, four wide, four deep. A cube of attention.

This small terra cotta figure was modeled in Ghana in the 20th century. Clay figures like it were made across West Africa for the household, for shrines and for ceremony. A columnar body rises into a head topped by two rounded peaks. The eyes are small and pierced, set wide, and a jutting mouth gives the face an alert, almost animal look.

A pale, chalky encrustation clings to the warm buff clay and softens every contour. It sits on a slim black base. For a shelf, or a desk. It will watch you work.