Unknown (Nok Culture)
Nok Head
Circa 500 BCE
A terracotta Nok head produced between approximately 900 BC and AD 200 in central Nigeria by the ancient Nok culture — one of the earliest and finest figurative sculptural traditions of sub-Saharan Africa. With perforated pupils, triangular mouth, and elaborate coiffure, the fragmentary head likely belonged to a ritual or funerary figure. Examples at Paris's Musée du Quai Branly make the museum one of the principal research centres for ancient West African sculpture.
Exhibition Venue
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Image source: Wikimedia Commons