Large head with hat - Culture Nok

This terracotta head is characterised above all by its volumninous helmet, with wide edges, in the form of a pumpkin. The possibility may be contemplated, however, that it is a hairstyle that adopts this same form, since it is known that on occasions men modelled their hair, giving it this appearance of a hat around the edges. This practice was still maintained in the twentieh century among certain groups in Nigeria who lived close to the border with Cameroon, such as the Kirdi. Regarding the formal characteristics of the piece, several of the identifying features of Nok terracottas can be recognised, such as the perforation of the pupils and nostrils, the thick lips ant the very prominent eyebrows. The thin moustache confirms that it represents a masculine personage.