Koma Terra Cotta Funerary Figure, Based

Take the Koma idea at its simplest. A head. A body that narrows to a point. The rest is surface.

Made between the 13th and 17th centuries and found, as such figures are, in mounds in northern Ghana, where they are linked to funerary practice. A notched band frames the head. The small face has round eyes, a broad nose and a row of thick lips, with a ringed neck beneath the chin. The body narrows smoothly to a rounded end. The buff surface is evenly weathered and granular, softening every contour. Seven inches, on a metal stand.

In profile, nothing is lost. In profile, it is all there.