Head
More than 500 such sculptures—often full figures with elaborate hairstyles and jewelry— have been found in central Nigeria. Named after a discovery site, Nok culture (500 BCE–200 CE or 1500–1 BCE) produced the earliest large figurative artworks in Africa outside of Egypt. Little was known about their social context, as they were first found in mining deposits in the 1920s. Archaeological excavations conducted in the 2000s by a German-Nigerian team suggest that many sculptures were deliberately broken and placed under pavements and in pits, indicating ritual practice. Male-centered art histo...
Details
- Palette
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- Medium
- terracotta
- Dimensions
- overall: height 0.382 m, width 0.2 m
- Department
- African Art
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund
Art Genome Taxonomy
8 tags
Subject Matter
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Face Visual · 99%
The composition is dominated by a frontal modeled human face with eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and surrounding facial structure.
Visual Qualities
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Contour Line Visual · 90%
Raised linear bands visibly articulate the brow, eyes, mouth, and upper head covering or hairstyle-like form.
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Rough Visual · 94%
The surface appears granular and uneven, with visible pitting, abrasions, and irregular worn areas.
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Symmetrical Visual · 91%
The facial features are organized around a strongly frontal and approximately bilateral arrangement.
Medium and Techniques
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Sculpture Both · 99%
The object is visibly a three-dimensional modeled head, and the museum classifies it as Sculpture.
Time Periods
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Ancient Art Metadata · 80%
The museum gives a thermoluminescence date of 20–620 CE, supporting placement within the catalog’s broad ancient-art period.
Geographic Regions
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West African Art Metadata · 99%
The place-of-origin field identifies Africa, West Africa, Nigeria, in a Nok-culture style region.
Materials
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Terracotta Metadata · 99%
The museum explicitly identifies the medium as terracotta.
Source & rights
Unknown artist. Head. Cleveland Museum of Art.