Koma Funerary Figure of Offering Basket

Two mouths, one pointed bottom, and no plan for ever sitting down.

This Koma terra cotta funerary figure with an offering basket is Koma, from Northern Ghana, West Africa. Figures that carry or hold baskets and vessels appear in the clay sculpture of several West African peoples, and they may be read as gestures of offering or provision. A conical body narrows to a blunt point below a ridged collar of pressed, scalloped bands. Twin openings crown the top, joined by a small bridge. The finish is gritty and uneven, with warm rust tones and darker stains. It is 1.75 inches wide, 1 deep and 2.75 high.

Twice the opening, half the stability, all of the charm.