Koma Ceramic Funerary Figure, Based

Slit oval eyes and a lattice beard, under a band of twisted clay.

This based funerary figure is Koma, from Northern Ghana, West Africa, and dates to between the 13th and 17th centuries. It is terra cotta. Although thousands of Koma terracottas are known, few were recovered in controlled excavations, which is one reason so much about them remains open. A twisted band encircles the open top. The eyes are oval with a slit down the center, the nose is short, and a wide, flat mouth sits above a lattice of crosshatched clay. The body tapers to a long, blunt point. It is 6.25 inches high and 2.5 wide.

Patterned, bearded and fully present.