Bankoni Terra Cotta Standing Figure, Based

Fifteenth century. Southern Mali. The Niger region had already been making elongated, stylized figures in clay for some time.

The Bankoni terra cottas belong to that family of early sculptural traditions. This one rises more than two feet. A small head with a pursed, open mouth sits on a long thick neck. Narrow shoulders lead to long arms that bend inward, hands resting at the groin. The legs are two broad columns. The orange-red clay is heavily textured and pitted, with a visible crack across the lower body.

Twenty-seven and three quarter inches. It holds a room without raising its voice.