Koma Ceramic Funerary Figure

A long face, a pendant mask on the chest, and an expression of patient disapproval.

This funerary figure is Koma, from Northern Ghana, West Africa, and dates to the 13th to 17th century. It is terra cotta. Many Koma figures wear necklaces, pendants and bracelets, which some researchers read as signs of status, though little is certain about whom they represent. Here a tall, columnar head with ringed eyes and a bearded chin rises from broad shoulders. A heavy pendant shaped like a small face hangs on the chest from a ribbed collar, and a coiled bracelet wraps one arm. The clay is pale orange with darker patches. It is 8.25 inches high and 4 wide.

Dressed for an occasion and still holding the pose.