Description:

Africa, Nigeria, Katsina or Sokoto culture, ca. 500 BCE to 200 CE. An African terracotta bearded male figure created by the Katsina or Sokoto culture of ancient Nigeria, adorned with a pointed and incised headdress and an elaborate cloak lined with decorative trim. His visage is endearingly expressive with squinty coffee-bean shaped eyes and a wide smile. Fingers and triangular ears add to his character. Most Katsina figures were originally attached to the tops of globular vessels, suggesting that they were intended to be funerary markers. Katsina, Nok, and Soweto artisans all created large, hollow, thin-walled, low-fired, terracotta human sculptures. The materials used were terracotta mixed with mica and quartz for longevity; figures were covered with a slip, and burnished with pebbles. Very few of these figures remain and most no longer display their original surface treatments. A marvelous and rare example! Stand included. Size: figure itself measures 8-3/4" x 5"; 11-5/8" on stand.

For further reference, see Frederick John Lamp "Ancient Terracotta Figures from Northern Nigeria," Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin 2011, New Haven: Yale University Art Gallery, 2011: 48-57.

Provenance: Ex-private R. Pearson collection, Denver, CO; acquired at Arte Primitivo, NYC, NY.

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#109987

  • Condition: Headdress reattached. A large fragment missing lower end. Losses to nose, hands, and headdress with surface wear as shown.

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November 5, 2015 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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