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This well-formed ceramic sculpture of a human
head was made by one of the most inscrutable
groups in pre-colonial Africa: the Bura. It is a
columnar piece with a broken base, implying
that it may have once been part of a larger
object. The neck/torso is widest at the base,
slimming towards the middle then thickening
again towards the head into which it flows
seamless without any indication of jawline. The
rounded face is minimalist and expressionist,
with coffee-bean eyes and mouth, a short,
hooked nose with pierced nostrils, and triple
keloid scarifications on each cheek. Unusually,
the piece has a beard – or perhaps a chin –
applied directly below the mouth. The ears are
lunate and mounted inferior to the head’s widest
point. The coiffure is very unusual, comprising a
triple raised bar of hatched incised clay running
diagonally over each eye, and then deflecting
backwards before stopping abruptly at the
head’s apex. There are three small eminences
atop the coiffure in each side. The back of the
figure is plain, which implies that the piece was
designed to be seen from the front, perhaps as a
devotional object or idol. The clay is an even,
well-baked orange-red.
The Bura are a true paradox: almost nothing is
known of this shadowy Nigerian/Malian group.
They appear to have originated in the first half of
the first millennium AD, although the only
archaeologically-excavated site (Nyamey) dates
between the 14th and 16th centuries. They are
contemporary with – and probably related to –
the Djenne Kingdom, the Koma, the Teneku and
a satellite culture known as the Inland Niger
Delta. Insofar as can be ascertained, the Bura
share certain characteristics with these groups;
for our purposes, these include extensive
ceramic and stone sculptural traditions. The Bura
appear to have been sedentary agriculturists who
buried their dead in tall, conical urns, often
surmounted by small figures. Their utilitarian
vessels are usually plain, while other “containers”
– the function of which is not understood – are
often decorated with incised and stamped
patterns. Their best-known art form is radically
reductivist anthropomorphic stone statues, with
heads rendered as squares, triangles and ovals,
with the body suggested by a columnar,
monolithic shape beneath. Phallic objects are
also known; some phallomorphic objects may
have been staffs, perhaps regalia pertaining to
leaders of Bura groups. Ceramic heads are
usually more complex than their stone
counterparts, with incised decoration and
variable treatment of facial proportions and
features. There are a few very rare equestrian
figures: these bear some resemblance to Djenne
pieces. Almost no intact human or equestrian
figures are known.
The role of these figures is almost totally
obscure. Equestrian figures probably represent
high status individuals, and the very few full-
body representations of humans may be
portraits or ancestor figures. Intuitively – as with
so many other groups both inside and beyond
Africa – figures with exaggerated sexual
characteristics would tend to be associated with
fertility and fecundity, as would any artefact
modelled in the shape of pudenda (although the
sceptre-like qualities of some such pieces
should be noted – see above). The distribution of
decoration on some ceramic pieces (notably
phalluses) may suggest that they were designed
to be viewed from one angle only – perhaps as
adorational pieces. Many pieces are believed to
have been found in burials, perhaps implying an
importance that would have been linked to social
standing and status.
This is a striking Bura sculpture, and an attractive
piece of ancient art from one of Africa’s lost
civilisations.
- (DC.319 (LSO))
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