Bura Figurative Vessel Top Based

Broad face, rounded ears, swollen almond eyes under heavy lids. And a dark line down the ridge of the nose, as if drawn on.

Bura burial fields in Niger are known for jars crowned with sculpted heads, marking the place of the dead. This one was modeled between the 11th and 15th centuries, in terra cotta, and once topped such a vessel. The mouth is a small pursed oval, the chin a knob of clay. Smaller dark patches dot the cheeks and temples against pale orange. Seven inches tall, on a black metal stand.

It has the heavy-lidded calm of someone who has seen the end of things.