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Overview
A terracotta head in the Nok tradition of central Nigeria, mounted on a black display stand. The head wears a tall hood that frames the face and rises to a peak at the back, with two raised bands crossing the forehead in a V shape. The face has heavy rounded brows, pierced eyes, a broad nose with two pierced nostrils and full lips. Small pierced holes also mark the sides of the head. The coarse orange clay is full of white quartz grit. It suits a shelf, desk or a collection of African terracotta.
About Age and Authenticity
This piece comes from a collection lot (ex Barnes) in which a companion piece was thermoluminescence (TL) tested by Artemis Testing Lab in February 2021, with an estimated age of about 2,200 years (±350). This piece itself has not been tested. We make no claim about its age and sell it as is. Buyers are welcome to arrange their own TL testing.
Background
The Nok culture flourished on the Jos Plateau of central Nigeria from roughly 1500 BCE to 500 CE and is known for some of the earliest figurative terracotta sculpture in sub-Saharan Africa. Nok-type heads often show elaborate hairstyles or headwear, and many have pierced eyes, nostrils or ears. This head is from an ex Barnes collection batch (Jerald Barnes, an American collector who lived in West Africa for over a decade).
Condition
A head broken from a larger figure, with a worn edge at the neck. The back of the head has a large round area where the outer surface is missing, and there are fine cracks on the back and on the top of the hood; none appear to have been repaired. The surface is weathered and granular, with earthen deposits in the recesses. The head is mounted on a straight metal rod set into a black wood block stand. Please see all photos.
Dimensions & Weight
The head is about 5.5 inches high, 4.2 inches wide and 3.5 inches deep (H x W x D). Head and stand together weigh about 2 lb 15 oz.
Shipping
Free standard shipping within the US, packed securely.
