This is an antique terracotta Nsodia funerary portrait body made and used by the Akan Asante peoples of Ghana and also by the Agni and Krinjabo people of Cote d'Ivoire. Collected from Africa this piece was purchased from a fifty year old collection. Great rustic condition with wear. This specimen measures 1.69 inches long by 1.27 inches wide. Although these terracotta sculptures which are made of baked clay are sometimes full figures, they are more often just heads, or just bodies - essentially fragments. These funerary portrait pieces were the exclusive craft of the elder female artists and served as funerary portraits and memorials of passed on relatives. Before being placed as a grave marker, these heads would be used in ceremonies pertaining to the deceased. These ceremonies would often last as long as forty days or until the dead had achieved ancestral status through the rituals. I combine shipping on multiple buys so check out my eBay store Mountainamma's Marketplace where I have thousands of items to browse through. For buyers of multiple items please message me before you buy for help combining shipping fees.