Nigerian Ceramic Funerary Marker

Made to keep company with the dead, it holds its gaze.

This funerary marker is Dakakari, from Nigeria, West Africa, 19th century, made of terra cotta. The Dakakari are known for placing fired clay sculptures and vessels on the graves of respected people, honoring the dead and marking the place where they lie. A broad rounded fan spreads behind a central face with ringed eyes and an open oval mouth. Twisted rope-like coils outline the fan and divide it into sections, with small points along the top. An arched opening runs through the neck above a rough base. Thirty-two inches wide and 31 high.

Some objects ask to be approached slowly. This is one.