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This columnar ceramic sculpture with a
truncated base was made by one of the most
inscrutable groups in pre-colonial Africa: the
Bura. It is a traditional rendering, with a flared
base, a tall, plain neck and a stylised human
head that is separated from the neck by a strong
jawline. However, the head is highly unusual. The
ears are pendulous and project from the jawline,
while the face is rendered as a trio of coffee-
bean forms and a short, curved nose with a
pronounced septum. There is a small eminence –
perhaps a beard – at the apex of the chin. The
most unusual characteristic of this piece is the
coiffure; it is rendered as a hatched, raised band
encircling the circumference of the head, above
which the hair has been formed into three blade-
like crests that run from front to back (one has
been damaged). If ancient African society was
anything like modern Africa, the importance of
hairstyle as a social marker could not have been
overstated. Any onlooker would have
immediately recognised the style and would have
been able to identify the precise origin, social
and marital status of the person depicted. The
piece would originally have been designed as a
decorative apex to a large ceramic vessel.
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, which 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 an interesting Bura sculpture, and a
striking and attractive piece of ancient art from
one of Africa’s lost civilisations.
- (DC.329 (LSO))
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