Koma Terra Cotta Funerary Figure, Based

Two bands of crosshatching meet on his chest like crossed straps.

This head-and-torso funerary figure of terra cotta is by the Koma people of Ghana, made between the 13th and 17th centuries. Koma figures were found in burial mounds in northern Ghana and are often connected with funerary rites. The face is lively: an almond eye, a small ear, an open mouth with full lips and a row of teeth, the head rising to a low crest.

The pale buff clay is dry and worn. Seven and a half inches tall.

The expression suggests he has just been told something.