Bura Figurative Vessel Top, Based

Two pierced lumps for eyes, a punctured mouth, and a bar for a nose. That is the whole face, and it is enough.

Bura burial grounds along the Niger River valley are known for ceramic vessels, some topped with heads or stylized faces, set into the ground as funerary markers. This terra cotta vessel top, from Niger, dates to the 11th to 15th century. The head is rounded and oval, with raised, notched bands along the edges of the face.

The clay is a warm terra cotta red, rough and sandy, with a visible crack.

Some faces need nothing more.