Koma Ceramic Funerary Figure, Based

A headband incised in a tidy zigzag, with ears stuck out like handles.

This funerary figure, based, is Koma, from Northern Ghana, West Africa, and dates to between the 13th and 17th centuries. It is terra cotta. Bands of incised decoration on Koma heads are often read as caps, headbands or hairstyles, though the evidence is generally indirect. Here a wide band with a crisp zigzag pattern encircles the open top. Below it, round ears project from the sides, the nose is short and rounded, and full lips sit above a heavy chin. The body narrows into a long, smooth point. It is 8 inches high and 2.5 wide.

Neatly turned out from the top down.