Koma Terra Cotta Funerary Figure, Based

Two raised bands, one at the top, one near the middle. Notched, like a seam.

The Koma people of northern Ghana made this terra cotta funerary piece between the 13th and 17th centuries. Koma terra cottas have been recovered from mounds in the region and are thought to have been associated with burial and remembrance, though their exact role is not fully understood. Six inches tall, it has a tapering, columnar form and a rounded projection on one side.

The sandy, buff clay is softly abraded, with the worn, granular surface of great age.

Sometimes you read a thing by its silhouette alone.