Koma Janiform Funerary Figure

Spread like a cluster of fingers, with a pierced forehead and a spotted brow.

This Koma terra cotta janiform funerary figure is Koma, from Northern Ghana, West Africa. A janiform composition lets a sculptor treat a figure as a form in the round with no single front, so that it reads differently from each side. Broad, grey-brown head with several rounded, finger-like projections spreading from the sides. A row of small incised marks decorates the top, and two small holes pierce the face. The base is short and rough, with a gritty finish. It is 6 inches wide, 3 deep and 5.6 high.

Looks like it has a lot of hands and a great deal to say.