Description:

Africa, Mali/Niger, Bura Asinda-Sikka culture, ca. 3rd to 11th centuries CE. An intriguingly modelled terracotta funerary phallic form urn with a human face. The urn boasts an elegant visage with large, coffee bean shaped eyes, a pronounced somewhat bulbous nose, an ample applied mouth with slightly parted lips, elongated, oval ears and an elaborate coiffure adorned with incised textile-inspired decorations and applied nubbins. These ceramic forms have been found upside down in graves, buried with their openings faced downwards, filled with belongings (cloth remnants and other objects), teeth, and some bones of the deceased. This traditional ritual demonstrates the Bura-Asinda-Sikka people's belief in the continuation of fruitfulness from birth to life to death to rebirth. Examples like this were initially discovered in 1975, many by farmers who were preparing their fields. Hence many Bura-Asinda-Sikka urns were accidentally broken by shovels before serious archaeological excavations began in 1983. Size: 3.25" L x 3" W x 7.25" H (8.3 cm x 7.6 cm x 18.4 cm)

Provenance: Ex Peter Arnovick Collection, Los Altos CA

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#112204

  • Condition: Chips to rim. Expected surface wear and abrasions. Some small repairs.

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February 16, 2016 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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