Description:

West Africa, Niger, Bura Asinda-Sikka culture, ca. 3rd to 11th century CE. A fine hand-built terracotta memorial head of a characteristically phallic form resting atop a flared base. The abstract visage is composed of petite eyes, an enormous nose above full lips, and tab-shaped ears with miniscule piercings, and the coiffure exhibits dozens of raised nodules which imbue it with a scaly texture. Examples like this were initially discovered in 1975, many by farmers who were preparing their fields. Hence many Bura sculptural works were accidentally broken by shovels before serious archaeological excavations began in 1983. Size: 2.6" W x 10" H (6.6 cm x 25.4 cm); 10.25" H (26 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: Mark Clayton collection, Long Beach, California, USA; Mr. Clayton is a noted African expert and collector who recently had Nigerian bronze objects from his collection featured in an exhibition at the UCLA Fowler Museum entitled "Summoning the Ancestors" (September 2018 - March 2019).

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#145759

  • Condition: Small losses to base, with repair to nose. Minor chips to base and body, with softening to some finer details, and light encrustations. Nice earthen deposits throughout.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Shipping

Auction House will ship, at Buyer's expense

May 9, 2019 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 24.5% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000