Koma Ceramic Funerary Figure, Based

Round spectacle eyes and a small, polite smile.

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 figures were generally modeled by hand from coarse local clay and fired at fairly low temperatures, which accounts for their gritty surfaces. The head is squared, with a beaded band along the brow, large ringed eyes, a short nose and a small open mouth. Below, the torso shows two rounded breasts and a hint of the navel, and the figure ends just under the waist. The clay is a soft gray-brown. It is 7 inches high and 2.5 wide.

Cheerful company, whatever the occasion.