Koma Ceramic Funerary Figure, Based

He sits with knees drawn up and fingers spread across them, as if waiting patiently for something.

This funerary figure is Koma, from Northern Ghana, West Africa, and dates to the 13th – 17th C. It is terra cotta, mounted on a base. Koma terra cottas have been recovered from mounds in northern Ghana, and are generally believed to have been made in connection with burial and remembrance, though their exact purpose remains uncertain. The figure sits upright, its tall cylindrical head open at the top, with round eyes, a pierced nose and a projecting chin. Both arms are covered in small punched dots, and long grooved fingers rest across the knees. It is 3.5 inches wide, 4 deep and 6.5 high.

Patience, fired in clay.