Koma Ceramic Funerary Figure, Based

A beaded cap, two small ears and a mouth layered like a stack of coins.

This based funerary figure is Koma, from Northern Ghana, West Africa, and dates to between the 13th and 17th centuries. It is terra cotta. Koma figures are generally dated by the mounds and sites they came from, hence the broad range of dates. A crown of beaded clay sits above wide eyes with pointed lids and a narrow nose. The mouth is built from several thick ridges, with small ears at the sides of the head. Below the chin the body runs long and slender, tapering to a rounded end. It is 8.5 inches high and 2.5 wide.

Tall, slim and noticeably composed.