Lot 143
West Africa, Niger/Burkina Faso, Niger River Valley, Bura culture, ca. 3rd to 10th century CE. A terracotta funerary urn of elongated, phallic form, representative of the mortuary traditions of the enigmatic Bura culture. Rising from a flared foot, the vessel tapers to a rounded summit and is finely adorned with dense incised textures and geometric reliefs, including vertical dotted bands and stylized anthropomorphic motifs. Such urns were traditionally used to hold human remains alongside grave goods like iron tools, adornments, and quartzite beads. The exaggerated phallic shape likely symbolized fertility, ancestral potency, and spiritual vitality - serving both as a protector and conduit for the deceased in the afterlife. Size: 8.75" W x 27.5" H (22.2 cm x 69.8 cm)
Provenance: Collection of Y. Kayvan, Los Angeles, California, USA, acquired from a Los Angeles, California, USA gallery acquisition dates range from the late 1990s to 2005
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#195063
- Condition: Repaired, breakline visible across the midsection where the upper was reattached to lower half. Losses to the top of the urn as shown and to the flared base / opening rim. Abrasions and chips throughout.
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