Koma Terra Cotta Funerary Figure

Face down, a fragment, and still eloquent.

Terra cotta figures like this were unearthed in the Koma region of northern Ghana and are dated between the 13th and 17th centuries, associated with funerary practices whose details remain uncertain. This piece is a fragmentary head, oriented so that its long, tapering face points downward.

Round pellet eyes and raised crescent-shaped ridges mark the features, and the cylindrical crown is wrapped in vertical strips of beaded clay. A projection extends from one side. The surface is pale orange-buff, gritty and eroded, softened by long burial. Just over five inches across.

Half a face is still a conversation.