Koma Terra Cotta Funerary Figure, Based

Tall, tapering, and flat-topped, with a beard marked in combed lines.

Koma terra cottas are known from burial mounds in northern Ghana and are generally associated with funerary practice, though their exact purpose remains uncertain. This one was made sometime between the 13th and 17th centuries.

A rimmed almond eye, a disc-shaped ear and a projecting beard give it a strong profile, and the body narrows to a rounded point below. The buff-gray clay is weathered and lightly pitted. Held on a slim metal mount over a square black base, it rises six and a half inches, mount included.

The profile does the talking.