Bura Terracotta Funerary Bowl
Bura Terracotta Funerary Bowl
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The Bura Asinda-Sikka culture, c. 200-1200AD, Niger or Burkina Faso, West Africa.
This charming ancient terracotta bowl, dating from 200-1200 AD, is a beautiful example of the Bura Asinda-Sikka culture of West Africa. With its shallow shape and thick walls, this finely crafted vessel embodies the functional elegance and artistic traditions of an enigmatic civilization.
The Bura culture, which flourished in the lower Niger River valley of present-day Niger and Burkina Faso, was first revealed in 1975 near Niamey, Niger, with the accidental discovery of the Bura-Asinda-Sikka necropolis. Excavations in the early 1980s uncovered a culture that thrived between the 3rd and 13th centuries AD, leaving behind an extraordinary array of distinctive terracotta artifacts.
While Bura artisans are most renowned for their tubular and ovoid funerary urns, round and semi-ovoid pots like this bowl also played an essential role in their daily and ritualistic life. Some Bura ceramics feature stylized anthropomorphic elements, including facial features, coiffures, and symbolic reliefs, while others remain unadorned, emphasizing their simple yet sophisticated forms. The presence of bowls and vessels in burial sites suggests their use in ceremonial offerings, possibly to honor the deceased.
A rare and elegant artifact, this terracotta bowl offers a tangible connection to the daily life and spiritual practices of one of West Africa’s most intriguing early civilizations. An exceptional addition for collectors and institutions specializing in African antiquities.
Good condition. Age-related wear, abrasion with a small chip on the rim and few scratches on surface. Rich earthen deposits. Size approx. 14,2cm x 14,5cm x 5,5cm.
Provenance: Dutch private collection
References and further reading:
Bura Funerary Urns: Niger Terracottas: An Interpretive Limbo?, Michelle Gilbert, African Arts, The MIT Press, Vol. 53, No.1, Spring 2020, pp. 66-75.
Earth and Ore: 2500 Years of African Art in Terra-cotta and Metal, Karl-Ferdinand Schädler, Panterra, January 1, 1997.
Un "Village des Morts" à Bura en Republique du Niger', Boube Gado, in J. Devisse (ed.), Vallées du Niger, Paris: Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 1993, pp. 365-74.
One Hundred Years of Archaeology in Niger, Anne C. Haour, Journal of World Prehistory, Vol.17. No.2, June 2003, pp. 181-234.
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Returns
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