Additional information
| Ethnic Groups | |
|---|---|
| Regions | |
| Primary Materials |
Bura Head with Ridged Coiffure
From the collection of Joseph Knopfelmacher. Joe was an avid collector of ancient West African terracottas beginning in the 1960s in Mali. Even after selling his Manhattan gallery Craft Caravan in 1985, Joe continued to travel to West Africa, although by the 1980s it was becoming increasingly harder to find great material. Around 1990, Hausa merchants began bringing Bura terracottas to New York and Paris from Western Niger. Joe already had close contacts in the region and traveled to the capital Niamey on a number of occasions with an absurdly small suitcase — only large enough for a single change of clothes, a toothbrush and just maybe a sock or two. This head once surmounted and inverted vessel that served a ritual purpose centuries ago. $750
9.5″
