Koma Terra Cotta Funerary Figure

A narrow face with a topknot rises from a draped, bell-shaped body like a periscope.

This Koma terra cotta funerary figure is Koma, from Northern Ghana, West Africa. The Koma people of northern Ghana are known for terra cotta figures, and scholars continue to discuss how the works were originally made and used. Slim and long-featured, a face carries a tall, stacked coil of hair on top. Below, the shoulders flare into a sloped base marked with diagonal bands of drapery, and a ring circles the neck. The surface is dark brown and rough. It is 4.75 inches wide, 5 deep and 8.25 high.

Dignified posture, and a hairdo with real architectural ambition.