Koma Terra Cotta Funerary Figure, Based

Bulging eyes, a darkened open mouth, and a body that ends in a broken point.

Presented on a black stand, this funerary figure was made by the Koma of Ghana between the 13th and 17th centuries. Koma terra cottas have been found in mounds in the north and are thought to have been used in funerary contexts.

The head is crowned by a beaded band, with a short nose and a rolled ring about the neck. The orange-red clay is gritty and weathered, with dark patches across the face. Including its mount, it stands thirteen and a half inches tall.

It stares. You will blink first.