An antique circa 14th century Ghana, Africa, Komaland archaeological site terracotta piece, small size. Young man sitting and ornate with a necklace and a traditional mud molded hairstyle. The portrait has both arms and hands resting on the thighs. Belly button is prominent due an umbilical hernia, a line of pubic hair crowning the genitals. There is little known about the people who made these crudely rendered figures. Clay figurines like this example were found in earth mounds and stone circles by farmers and villagers. The mounds were excavated in 1985 and are thought to be ancient funerary shrines used to dispose of ritually powerful objects and rarely human remains. Koma figurines have been classified into anthropomorphic, and zoomorphic, based on the stylistic representation while some possess both human and animal features. They are some of the figurines that have one head and two faces or one body with multiple heads while some have a head with a conical shape. Those anthropomorphic coned figurines are the most common types and consist of a head with a long conical neck or body. Provenance: Kamyas Antiquities and Ethnographic Art, NYC. Weight 469 grams.

Dimensions: H 9 in. All measurements are approximate.