Bura Figurative Vessel Top, Based

Tall for a Bura head, and every inch in a hurry to be taller.

The Bura funerary tradition of Niger is known for its terra cotta heads and columns placed over burial jars. This one dates to the 11th to 15th centuries. A small domed head with a long, narrow nose and tiny mouth rises from a slender neck. The neck widens into a thick, rounded collar near the base, below which a further section survives. Small ears sit high on the head.

The orange clay is heavily mottled with gray-brown earth deposits, a weathered, layered surface. Slender, and very much up there. Give it a high shelf.