Bura Figurative Vessel Top, Based

Dotted marks run down beside the eyes. Scarification, as the Bura sculptors liked it.

This terra cotta head was made as a vessel top in Niger in the 11th to 15th centuries. Bura heads were mounted on funerary jars, and their sculptors often added scarification and other details. The head is domed, with a small knob at the crown and a crack across the scalp. Narrow eyes sit beneath arched brows, the nose is broad and short, and the full lips are slightly parted. Large ears frame the face above a short neck.

Six and a half inches tall. The face is tender and lifelike. Almost, one might say, expectant.