Ashanti Female Head Fragment

Half a face, and the half that matters is looking right at you.

Ashanti makers of Ghana, West Africa, shaped this female head fragment in terra cotta, dated in the record to the 13th century. Akan clay heads are commonly associated with memorial and commemorative traditions. The face has narrow, lidded eyes and a small closed mouth, and the hair rises in a cluster of rounded knots. Traces of orange-red pigment cling to the buff clay, and the break at the neck is left honest.

About six inches tall on a slim black stand. A quiet presence on a shelf of louder things.