Bura Figurative Vessel Top, Based

Head and body merge into one slab. The Bura sculptor did not bother with a neck.

This vessel top from Niger was made in the 11th to 15th centuries and once crowned a vessel in a burial setting, as was the Bura custom. It is a broad, slightly flattened column. A long nose descends from the brow, flanked by small incised eyes, with faint markings across the face. Near the base, a band of ridged modeling suggests ornament, or the join to the vessel below.

The surface is a warm, grainy orange with light pitting. Nine and a half inches tall. It holds its space without raising its voice.