African

Ancient Mediterranean

Asian

European and American

Art since 1900

African Art

Very little is known of the people who made this figure. Archaeological evidence indicates that about two thousand years ago they occupied an area (roughly the size of North Carolina) in central Nigeria, and that they grew crops and were skilled in working iron. They are best-known, however, for the hundreds of terra-cotta figures, ranging from a few inches to more than four feet in height, that have been discovered in the area in recent years. Some are highly stylized, others quite naturalistic; this figure is between the two extremes.

The majority of Nok figures have been found as fragments -- often only the head survives. Apart from the loss of the arms this figure is virtually complete. The woman's elaborate hair style and the heavy necklace and complicated waistband are characteristic of many Nok sculptures. The style of modeling combines smoothly finished surfaces with minutely incised detail.