Nok Sculpture of a Head, 500 BCE - 200 CE
Terracotta
height 24.1 cm
height 9 1/2 in
height 9 1/2 in
PF.6030
Some of the earliest examples of sophisticated sculpture in sub-Saharan Africa come from the Nok culture. We do not know what the people called themselves, so the culture was named...
Some of the earliest examples of sophisticated sculpture in sub-Saharan Africa come from the Nok culture. We do not know what the people called themselves, so the culture was named after the town of Nok where the first object was found. The fired clay or terracotta sculptures range in size from small pendant to life-size figures. Nok is an iron age culture that has been dated between 900 B.C. and 200 A.D. Archaeological artifacts have been found in Nigeria, primarily to the north of the Niger-Benue River confluence and below the Jos escarpment. According to some accounts, based on artistic similarities between early Yoruba art forms and Nok forms, there may be connections between Nok culture and contemporary Yoruba peoples. What is clear is that certain stylistic tendencies prevalent in black African art today may have originated in the sculptures of the Nok.
This fragment of a head is a perfect example of the Nok type, from the material itself to the carving of the forms. The distinctive orange clay, rich with mineral deposits that appear as white spots, is characteristic of Nok art. Other facial features, including the large almond-shaped eyes, the drilled holes representing the pupils (now partially filled by sediment), and the elaborate coiffure are all trademarks of the Nok style. This figure wears an ornate coiffure with three projecting, beautifully molded mounds on the back of his head. The front of the mounds have been embellished with what appear to be animal teeth or bones braided into the form. There is a reserved, composed air about his expression that is befitting of royalty. Surely this must have been an extremely important individual in order to be memorialized in such a stunning sculpture, most likely it represents a member of the royal elite. Although just a fragment, this sculpture is indicative of a greater truth. Throughout history, mankind has molded natural materials into our own form. Today, these relics of an ancient age are as vibrant as they ever were. They allow us to communicate with the past. In the case of the Nok culture, they are all that remains to document their existence.
This fragment of a head is a perfect example of the Nok type, from the material itself to the carving of the forms. The distinctive orange clay, rich with mineral deposits that appear as white spots, is characteristic of Nok art. Other facial features, including the large almond-shaped eyes, the drilled holes representing the pupils (now partially filled by sediment), and the elaborate coiffure are all trademarks of the Nok style. This figure wears an ornate coiffure with three projecting, beautifully molded mounds on the back of his head. The front of the mounds have been embellished with what appear to be animal teeth or bones braided into the form. There is a reserved, composed air about his expression that is befitting of royalty. Surely this must have been an extremely important individual in order to be memorialized in such a stunning sculpture, most likely it represents a member of the royal elite. Although just a fragment, this sculpture is indicative of a greater truth. Throughout history, mankind has molded natural materials into our own form. Today, these relics of an ancient age are as vibrant as they ever were. They allow us to communicate with the past. In the case of the Nok culture, they are all that remains to document their existence.