Koma Terra Cotta Funerary Figure, Based

Deep pupils, stared forward. The Koma head does not blink first.

Recovered from mound sites in northern Ghana, 13th to 17th century, terra cotta, and believed to have been made in connection with burial and the honoring of ancestors. The head rises to a small knob at the crown, ringed by a thick band of notched hair. Large ringed eyes sit over a broad nose and thick, everted lips, with tiny perforations at the nostrils and mouth. Orange-red clay, weathered, patched with encrustation. Nine inches on its metal mount.

Hold its gaze if you like. We recommend losing gracefully.