Koma Terra Cotta Funerary Figure, Based

Built up from rolls of clay, the way a sentence is built from short words. Rings for the eyes. A knob for the nose, another for the mouth.

This columnar terracotta was made by the Koma people of northern Ghana between the 13th and 17th centuries. Koma terracottas have been found at burial mound sites and are widely thought to have been made for funerary purposes. Seven and a half inches tall, it narrows from a modeled head to a rounded base. A thick collar circles the neck, from which a small beard protrudes, and two small ears or horns rise at the top. The russet surface is rough and weathered. A simple iron stand holds it.

Plain speech. Considerable effect.