Antique Terracotta Bura Funerary Urn - Niger.

This superb and highly characteristic Bur urn measures 23 cm in height.

This Bura Urn was collected in my private collection in 1984.

Africa-gallery is pleased to offer from his own private collection a rare terracotta Funerary Urn from the Bura culture, Republic of Niger, West Africa.

Discovered in an area northwest of Niamey and dating from the 11-16th centuries, these figurative funerary urn are commonly called “Bura” figures, a reference to one of the three tribal groups living in the area today.

The area of West Africa belonging to the Bura, Asinda and Sikka tribal groups lies along the Volta River, which separates the countries of Niger and present day Burkina Faso (formerly known as Upper Volta). The greater Volta area is a region of vast cultural, ethno-historical and archeological significance.

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. These are their best-known art form along with a group of radically reductivist anthropomorphic stone statues or markers, with heads rendered as squares, triangles and ovals, with the body suggested by columnar, monolithic shapes, some of which are also decorated with incised patterns.

It shows wear consistent with an age of several hundred years, including cracks and chips that are a normal part of the patina. Importantly, it is an intact original piece.

The story:

The site of the necropolis of Bura-Asinda-Sikka in the lower Niger River valley in southwest Niger was discovered accidentally in 1975 by a young hunter who found two small terracotta heads. Three years later the discovery was reported to the Departement d'art et archaeologie (IRSH: l'Institut de Recherches en sciences humaines de l'Universite de Niamey). In 1983, Boube Gado (1944–2015)—head of the Department of Art and Archaeology, IRSH, Niamey—conducted a quick but rigorous archaeological excavation there, financed by the University of Niamey and the French Minister of Relations Exterieures. Among other things, Gado found tubular and oval-shaped anthropomorphic terracotta pots, some surmounted by heads or highly adorned equestrian warriors. The pots were placed upside down on the ground above burials and dated from the second to eleventh centuries ce. Gado wrote a short essay on these extraordinary terracotta vessels and his interpretation of their meaning for the exhibition catalog Vallees du Niger (Devisse 1993). The exhibit was held in Paris at the Musee National des Arts d'Afrique et d'Oceanie in 1993–1994 and travelled to museums in Europe, America, and West Africa throughout 1996. In the 575 page catalog, over forty scholars addressed aspects of the early history of the inland Niger Basin reconstructed through material objects and other sources. Gado's contribution is the only existing article to describe this Bura material. I was fascinated by these pots and surprised that so little had been published on them.

Gado (1993) tells us that, at the Bura necropolis, groups of pots covering several hundred square meters were found associated with burials: the archaeological excavation (25 x 20 meters in size) exposed 630 funerary urns placed upside down and close together. There were twice as many tubular urns as semi-ovoid ones (see maps and photo of site in Gado 1993: 365–66). The urns were placed on the ground several feet above the buried remains or they once covered or contained human skulls, teeth, bones, or offerings of cooked food for the dead.

Gado suggests that the vases with bodily features are "effigies" of those buried 1–1.2 meters below the surface and that some contained the head of a caretaker of the dead—perhaps a slave, servant, spouse, or kinsman sacrificed to serve the deceased in the afterworld. Gado maintains that the coffin-jars or anthropomorphic funerary urns from the Asinda-Sikka site are funerary statuettes. The terracotta pots vary in size but include tubular urns 70–80 cm in height and round or semi-ovoid urns, some of which are surmounted by standing figures, mounted horsemen, or heads (Fig. 1). Most urns, however, are decorated only with anthropomorphic features depicting eyes, nose, mouth, and/or coiffure. There are also representations of phalluses, breasts, and coiffures on the urns, which Gado says represent sexual differentiation. He interprets the iron arrowheads with hooked ends that were found beside every jar as remnants of a ritual sacrifice.1 The skeletons buried below the terracotta pots wore bracelets of brass or iron, brass nose rings, and sometimes strings of quartzite beads.

There are basically two shapes of pots found in the Bura necropolis: cylindrical and spherical. I suggest that most if not all of these represent genitalia. It is surely not an accident that the Hausa word bura means "penis" (Abraham 1962; Bargery 1934).2 The ancient stone megaliths at Tondidarou in Mali form a parallel example. To understand the sexually explicit forms on the Niger urns I consider them as a group, as a single category, and compare them with objects, myths, and rites performed by several other present-day peoples in nearby regions of West Africa.

The Bura terracotta pots that are reproduced in this essay were owned by New York collectors in the 1990s. They were purchased from American and European art dealers who in turn probably bought them from African runners and traders in the late 1980s.3 It is therefore an arbitrary selection. The collectors are anonymous.

A SUMMARY OF OUR AFRICA-GALLERY SELLING POLICIES.

Our Africa-gallery specialized in Ethiopian tribal art, collected and sell tribal used art from all over Africa and special from Ethiopia.
Our Gallery have a collection of authentic, original and traditional art from Africa. This collection including masks, statues, pottery, musical instruments, manuscripts, headrests and other antique, primitive art and various unusual items.
I hardly ever buy direct from Africa. All my items that I sell are old and (tribal) used. My objects come from European and American private collections, auction houses, fellow dealers and other collectors from around the world.
This site gives you an impression of our stock and activities. Authentic, museum quality African tribal art at wholesale prices
We strive to provide deeper public appreciation for high quality African art and to make it accessible to all collectors.
High quality masks, carvings, statues, fetishes, animal figures, ritual objects and bronzes displayed here will add beauty to any home and value to any collection.
In addition, an ever-growing demand for rapidly disappearing original African tribal art makes it a sound investment.
As long-time experienced collectors, we carefully select and authenticate every artifact. Shown here are original, high quality, hand-crafted pieces made of wood or bronze which can be yours at a fraction of gallery prices! Years of traditional use added distinction to many of them.
We guarantee the authenticity of every item and your complete satisfaction. We make every effort to research and document the history of each artifact.
In our gallery you will find a nice selection of our stock. If you find something that is not on the site, let us know. We always have a large stock of items that are not on our site.
Please let us know if you do not see items you want. We may be able to find them for you.
Stand - The stand is not included in the price, you can buy it via the "stands" button.
Payment - PayPal preferred. For other payment methods please contact us before bidding.
Shipping - We ship worldwide. We try and get shipments out as quickly as possible after payment, usually shipping four times weekly.
Combined shipping - For buyers of multiple items please email us when done shopping for your combined invoice with reduced shipping fees. For urgent deliveries we can arrange courier shipments via DHL (additional charges incurred to be covered by the buyer).
Delivery – Delivery to most destinations is anywhere between 2 to 8 business days inside Europe and 16 to 21 business days to the rest of the world, after receiving our email confirmation that the item has been shipped. Parcels shipped from the Netherlands are sent using the Post NL and the parcel status is traceable online.
Refunds & Returns – We are aiming for your complete satisfaction. If for any reason you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase please return the item to us for a complete refund or exchange. No hassles, no questions asked. Refunds will be issued via PayPal or by Bank only. The shipping cost are not refund.
Please Contact Us – For any questions, concerns, or clarifications before bidding on or purchasing an item. We are usually able to respond within 24 hours. To avoid spam filters please establish initial contact through the eBay messaging system.
Thank you for visiting our site!
Kind Regards,
Gijs van Kuijk