Malian Ceramic Figure

Ridges climb both sides of the body like the teeth of a comb, and the head turns up to the sky.

This figure is Djenne, from Mali, West Africa, and dates to the 18th century. It is terra cotta. Terra cottas from the inland Niger Delta around Djenne are generally thought to have had a ritual role, though much about them remains uncertain. The upright form is columnar, with a small upturned head on a ringed neck. Rows of raised ridges run down the sides of the torso, and two hands rest on the belly beneath a small navel. The lower body narrows and then flares into a rounded base. It is 5.1 inches wide and 21.5 high.

Elongated, ridged and quietly sure of itself.