NOK Head (Male)

Nok art occupies a prominent place in Nigeria's art because of its history which dates back to the 2nd to 5th centuries of the iron age. The product of a culture that appeared in northern Nigeria around 1500 BC and vanished under unknown circumstances around 500 AD, the Nok terracotta sculptures were first discovered in Taruga, Kaduna by Colonel Dent Young, a tin miner in 1928. Bernard Fagg, an archeologist, later discovered more sculptures in 1940 and named them "Nok" because of the location where the sculptures were discovered.

Typical of Nok sculptures, this figure has triangular eyes with holes in its eyes and mouth and hair parted into mounds. Closely looking at the work, it is interesting to note the use of geometric shapes- triangles, circles or ovals, and semicircles in almost every facial which is typical of African styled art. The elongated face of the piece and its cropped hairdo certifies it as a male figure.