Bura Figurative Vessel Top, Based

Niger, between the 11th and 15th centuries. Over a grave, a jar. On the jar, a head.

Bura terracottas are known from burial sites in the region, where modeled heads and figures crowned funerary jars. This vessel top is a tall, cylindrical form that suggests a head and neck, eleven and a half inches high. A pointed crest marks the crown above a narrow nasal ridge. A small open ring stands in for the mouth. Fine incised crosshatching covers the lower section, like weaving or scarification. The pale orange clay is dry and mellow, with minor losses.

Look at it a while. It was made to be looked at a while.