Koma Ceramic Funerary Figure

A long neck, two collar rings and a mouth caught in an O of mild surprise.

This funerary figure is Koma, from Northern Ghana, West Africa, and dates to the 13th to 17th century. It is terra cotta. Some Koma figures are built on a flared, bell-like base so that they stand on their own. Here a narrow head with a long nose and small ears sits on a tall neck, its open, rounded mouth set well below. Two raised rings circle the lower neck, and the body flares into a wide skirt-like base with a ragged lower edge. Traces of red show on the brown clay. It is 7 inches high, 3.5 wide and 4 deep.

Upright, unhurried and slightly astonished.