Bankoni Kneeling Female Figure

Kneeling, long necked, her face rising to a point, she gives nothing away.

This kneeling female figure is terra cotta, from the Bankoni people of Sikasso in Mali, West Africa, 15th century. Terracotta figures called Bankoni, from southern Mali, are among the better known of the region's early ceramics, though much about their original use remains unknown. The breasts are full and the torso long, with a flared vessel rising at one knee. One forearm stops short above it. The surface is rough and reddish. It stands 23 inches high.

Some five hundred years is a long time to kneel.