Koma Ceramic Funerary Figure, Based

Coiled ears, a toothy open mouth and a beard trimmed straight across.

This funerary figure, based, is Koma, from Northern Ghana, West Africa, and dates to between the 13th and 17th centuries. It is terra cotta. Koma terracottas were made by hand without molds, so even closely related heads differ in proportion and detail. A squared top sits above two coiled ears or eyes at the sides, with a small pellet at the center of the brow. The nose is short and the mouth open to show a row of teeth, edged by a fringe of grooved clay across the chin. The form then narrows to a sharp point. It is 7.1 inches high and 2.5 wide.

A grin with a certain amount of edge.