Koma Terra Cotta Funerary Figure

Ringed head, folded arms and a slim, elongated body that never wastes a curve.

This Koma terra cotta funerary figure is Koma, from Northern Ghana, West Africa. Terra cotta is simply fired earthenware, and in West Africa it has been shaped into figures and vessels for well over a thousand years. Narrow, tube-like form topped by a round head with a ring of raised rim. Small arms curve around a rounded belly, with tiny hands joined near the pointed lower end. The orange-brown surface is rough and worn smooth in patches. It is 1.75 inches wide, 1 deep and 5.5 high.

Neat posture, no feet, and impeccable economy of line.