Barakat Gallery
Skip to main content
  • Menu
  • Home
  • Artworks
  • Exhibitions
  • About
  • Contact
Menu
  • Menu

Nok, Katsina, Sokoto

  • All
  • Masterpieces of African Art
  • African Masks
  • Akan, Asante, Fanti
  • Bambara
  • Baule
  • Benin
  • Bura
  • Chokwe
  • Dan
  • Dogon
  • Fang
  • Hemba, Luba, Shankadi
  • Igbo, Urhobo
  • Ife
  • Mangbetu
  • Nok, Katsina, Sokoto
  • Oceanic
  • Senufo, Kongo
  • Songye
  • Yoruba
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Katsina Sculpture of a Seated Man, 500 BCE - 200 CE
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Katsina Sculpture of a Seated Man, 500 BCE - 200 CE
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Katsina Sculpture of a Seated Man, 500 BCE - 200 CE

Katsina Sculpture of a Seated Man, 500 BCE - 200 CE

Terracotta
36.2 x 15.2 cm
14 1/4 x 6 in
PF.5789
Enquire
%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3EKatsina%20Sculpture%20of%20a%20Seated%20Man%3C/span%3E%2C%20%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E500%20BCE%20%20-%20%20200%20CE%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3ETerracotta%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E36.2%20x%2015.2%20cm%3Cbr/%3E%0A14%201/4%20x%206%20in%3C/div%3E

Further images

  • (View a larger image of thumbnail 1 ) Thumbnail of additional image
  • (View a larger image of thumbnail 2 ) Thumbnail of additional image
  • (View a larger image of thumbnail 3 ) Thumbnail of additional image
The Katsina style emerged along with the Nok culture. Discovered through archaeological expeditions in the 1940’s, almost nothing is known about the society or its customs other than the spectacular...
Read more
The Katsina style emerged along with the Nok culture. Discovered through archaeological expeditions in the 1940’s, almost nothing is known about the society or its customs other than the spectacular terracotta sculptures they left behind. Alas, were it not for these artifacts, their culture might have been completely forgotten. Fortunately, works such as this Katsina sculpture survive, a hint of the sophistication and beauty of their artistry. These sculptures represent the oldest artistic creations in Sub-Sahara Africa and could be the mother culture that originated the stylistic tendencies that continue to be pervasive throughout black African art today. The most obvious lasting influence is the disproportionate emphasis placed on the head.
This figure sits in a typical Katsina posture with his diminutive bent knees and his hands resting on the kneecaps. Unlike most Nok examples, the Katsina sculptors show little sensitivity in the modeling except for the head. The figure’s coiffure is a simple spherical skullcap with a small central horn at the top and a ring of mounds at the back, wholly different from the elaborate styles of the Nok. His eyes are also treated in a different manner from the wide, almond-shaped eyes that characterize the Nok: they are basically narrow horizontal slits carved into large, overhanging lenticular eyelids. Great attention has been paid to the figure's wide, protruding lips and flat, broad nose. The figure sits adorned in jewelry including a thick beaded necklace and bracelets. What an amazing relic from a lost civilization. This sculpture is a reminder of how vast and bountiful our common cultural heritage really is.
Close full details
Share
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Email
Previous
|
Next
2 
of  53

London

48 Albemarle Street,

London, W1S 4JW

info@barakatgallery.eu 

 

       


 

CONTACT | TEAM | PRESS 

 

Seoul
58-4, Samcheong-ro,
Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82 02 730 1949
barakat@barakat.kr
             

 

Los Angeles

941 N La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles CA 90069
+1 310 859 8408

contact@barakatgallery.com

  


 

 

Facebook, opens in a new tab.
Instagram, opens in a new tab.
Send an email
View on Google Maps
Manage cookies
Copyright © 2025 Barakat Gallery
Site by Artlogic


Manage cookies
Accept

Cookie preferences

Check the boxes for the cookie categories you allow our site to use

Cookie options
Required for the website to function and cannot be disabled.
Improve your experience on the website by storing choices you make about how it should function.
Allow us to collect anonymous usage data in order to improve the experience on our website.
Allow us to identify our visitors so that we can offer personalised, targeted marketing.
Save preferences
Close

Join our mailing list

Sign Up

* denotes required fields