Description:

Africa, Niger, Burkina Faso, ca. 3rd to 11th century CE. A tall terracotta funerary phallic form urn with elaborate hand incised designs. These richly ornamented 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 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 urns were accidentally broken by shovels before serious archaeological excavations began in 1983. A very tall phallic urn, covered with intricate geometric incised motifs. Includes custom stand. Size: urn itself measures 4.75" in diameter at widest point x 20.125" H (12.1 cm x 51.1 cm); with stand 21.5" (54.6 cm) H

Provenance: Ex-Peter Arnovick Collection, Los Altos, California

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#112323

  • Condition: Repaired at both ends, but only minor losses as shown.

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April 20, 2016 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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