BURA TERRACOTTA HEAD NIGER WEST AFRICA 3RD -15TH CENTURY C.E. TUCSON ESTATE for Sale

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BURA TERRACOTTA HEAD NIGER WEST AFRICA 3RD -15TH CENTURY C.E. TUCSON ESTATE For Sale

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BURA TERRACOTTA HEAD NIGER WEST AFRICA 3RD -15TH CENTURY C.E. TUCSON ESTATE:
$144.99

From a forgotten box in my office closet and the Tucson International Gem and Mineral and Fossil Showcase of 2002 is this Bura terra-cotta sculptural head, from the Niger River Valley in southwest Niger. It is one of two such acquired from a French dealer in the given year. Bura artworks relate to a somewhat enigmatic culture that thrived circa 3rd - 15th Century C.E., being roughly contemporary with the more well known Djenne Kingdom. Their cone shaped ceramic vessels and varied figural artworks were once an occasionally seen offering both from African traders and also some European dealers during the annual multi venue show - though not so much the last ten years or so, and pretty much not at all these last two. The offered head (separated as almost always from an elongated neck) is abstractly rendered in a known Bura style. There are schematic implications of a nose and braided rows of hair clearly suggested, allowing an opportunity for imagination to fill in the rest. It was collected sometime during the second half of the 20th century, and has nothing to do with the many recent replicas having cartoonish features and highly questionable baked on \"age\" commonly seen. Keep that in mind if you should spot some of those. Condition is quite good for the ground recovery with patinated surfaces showing well adhered soil and other appropriate signs of time and burial circumstance. The head was at some point mounted on a display stand, and there are remains of old adhesive still present at the neck break. That said, everything is otherwise ancient - no hidden restorations. A look at the pics should give a good idea of appearance and condition. Size is about 3 1/4 in. vertical and 2 1/8 in. horizontal at the greatest. If you are of Sub Saharan West African ancestry and desire a relevant cultural touchstone from your long ago, or you simply wish a single immediate improvement to the ambiance of an antiquities cabinet or room display, this will have great interest for you.

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