Minneapolis Institute of Art

Head

Nok artist

Date

1000 BCE–300 CE

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Nok

Department

Arts of Global Africa

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The refined hairstyle of this delicate head—a fragment of a full figure—has been carefully sculpted into four protruding shapes. The Nok culture, which developed in central Nigeria between 1000 BCE to 300 CE, is one of the oldest civilizations south of the Sahara. Yet very little is known about the Nok people, famed for their terracotta sculptures, or their worldview. In recent years, new ethical and judicial guidelines have been developed to protect Africa’s archaeological patrimony.

The authoritative record is held by Minneapolis Institute of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.