Ένα γλυπτό από τερακότα. - Κεφάλι - Bura - Νίγηρας (χωρίς τιμή ασφαλείας)

A fragmentary terracotta head in the style of Bura, Niger, a small slightly open mouth, broad nose and pearl-like eyes, the typical facial decorations of the Bura in the form of indentations.

The Bura are a mysterious Nigerian/Malian people about whom almost nothing is known. They seem to have emerged in the first half of the first millennium, but the only archaeologically researched site (Nyamey) dates from the 14th to 16th centuries. They exist at about the same time as the Djenne Kingdom, the Koma, the Teneku and a satellite culture known as the Inland Niger Delta, which is probably related to them. In stylistic comparison, the Bura share certain characteristics with these groups; visible in the ceramic and stone sculptures.

The Bura appear to have been sedentary farmers who buried their dead in tall, conical urns, sometimes topped by small figures. The best-known art objects are extremely reduced anthropomorphic stone statues and phallic objects, whose meaning is still unclear. One may - as with numerous other peoples within and outside Africa - most likely associate the figures with strongly pronounced sexual features with fertility, as well as all objects modelled in the shape of a phallus or with pronounced labia. The arrangement of the decorations on some ceramic pieces (especially the phallic ones) might suggest that they were meant to be viewed from one angle only.

"I believe that the import of all art objects from Africa—whether copies or originals—should be prohibited to protect Africa." Quote: Prof. Dr. Viola König, former director of the Ethnological Museum of Berlin, now HUMBOLDTFORUM
Legal Framework

Under the 1970 UNESCO Convention in combination with the Kulturgutschutz Gesetz (KGSG) any claim for the restitution of cultural property becomes time-barred three years after the competent authorities of the State of origin obtain knowledge of the object’s location and the identity of its possessor.
All bronzes and terracotta items offered have been publicly exhibited in Wolfgang Jaenicke Gallery since 2001. Organisations such as DIGITAL BENIN and academic institutions such as the Technical University of Berlin, which have been intensively involved in restitution-reseaches (translocation-project) over the past seven years, are aware of our work, have inspected large parts of our collection and have visited us in our dependance in Lomé, Togo, among other places, to learn about the international Art trade on site. Furthermore, the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) in Abuja, Nigeria, has been informed about our collection. In no case in the past have there been restitution claims against private institutions such as the Wolfgang Jaenicke Gallery
Our Gallery addresses these structural challenges through a policy of maximum transparency and documentation. Should any questions or uncertainties arise, we invite you to contact us. Each matter will be reviewed diligently using all available resources.

Lit.: Karl-Ferdinand Schaedler, Erde und Erz. 2500 Jahre Afrikanische Kunst aus Terrakotta und Metall, 1979. Michelle Gilbert, Bura Funerary Urns: Niger Terracottas: An Interpretive Limbo? African Arts (2020).

CAB31578