Koma Janiform Funerary Figure

Two heads share the rim of a flared drum, each looking its own way.

This janiform funerary figure is Koma, from Northern Ghana, West Africa, and dates to the 13th to 17th century. It is terra cotta. Some Koma terracottas set heads on pedestal or vessel-like forms, and these are generally grouped with the funerary figures found in the same mounds. The hollow base flares outward toward a broad rim edged with a band of short incised strokes. On top, two worn heads face in opposite directions, one with a coiled spiral eye still clear. The clay is pale tan and coarse. It is 4.5 inches wide, 3.25 deep and 4 high.

Back to back, and getting along fine.