This imposing ceramic piece is an urn from one of the most inscrutable groups in pre-colonial Africa: the Bura. The vast majority of Bura pieces are cephalomorphic or phallomorphic, and are additionally deconstructed to the point of abstraction. Fuller length figures, especially those with any detail below the neck, are vanishingly rare. Most of those that exist are made of ceramic and are believed to be the remains of equestrian statues that once decorated the apexes of large ceramic vessels. Stone pieces are usually either phallic, or shaped so that they can be thrust into the ground, presumably as mobiliary devotional pieces. Some urns and other containers are known, but while the secular function of plainer pieces is fairly obvious, seemingly non-functional objects such as this require more explanation. The urn is anthropomorphic, with a small, domed head with a forehead geometric scarification projecting from the top of the sealed vessel, which stands on a small, plain, conical base. The “body” is elongated and globular, and is predominantly plain with a pair of hatched panels either side of the midline on the front of the piece (the direction in which the head faces). Of the rest of the body’s details, only the umbilicus and the breasts/nipples are rendered. Additional lines may indicate scarifications. The function of this piece is almost totally obscure. The fact that it has a discernable front might suggest that it occupied a devotional position, perhaps on a shrine or similar. Whatever its function, it is a highly unusual piece.

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 range of figures is so large that it presumably indicates differing geographical and temporal trends in aesthetics within the Bura polity. Equally, similar figures with different scarifications of coiffures could imply production by a range of different workshops or areas. However, without more complete contextual information it is impossible to explore this possibility, and it is necessary to glean what we can from the art itself.

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. This is true of decorated urns that have no obvious secular importance. 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 rare and unusual Bura sculpture, and a striking and attractive piece of ancient art from one of Africa’s lost civilisations.