This is the rating and price for Ancient African Nok Terracotta Head

Description : Africa, Northern Nigeria, Nok, ca. 500 BCE to 200 CE. A handsome terracotta head from one of the oldest African centers of figural sculpture and ironworks. The ancient head displays characteristic traits of the classical Nok style including an elongated head, a high smooth forehead, huge, slender eyes with perforated pupils, boldly delineated lids, slightly risen, arched brows, a wide nose, and bowed lips. A dotted line surrounding his mouth may be indicative of facial hair, such as a beard or moustache. The head is capped by an elaborate coiffure of 6 bulbs of hair, arranged in a flower-like design, and all incised with starburst striations. A wonderful example that is more than two thousand years old! Please note that the Lucite stand is for photography purposes only. Size: 2.875 W x 4 H (7.3 cm x 10.2 cm) Classical Nok terracotta sculpture was first found in 1943 deep within a tin mine, near the present-day town of Nok, situated on the Jos Plateau in central Nigeria. The exact use of these portrait-like figures has yet to be discovered, none of these sculptures has ever been found in situ and any remains of these ancient structures are practically non-existent today. However, it has been suggested the hollow terracotta figures were ancestral effigies kept in shrine houses. In addition, the style of Nok facial features shows parallels with contemporaneous bronze and wooden sculptures created by the Benin and Yoruba peoples of Nigeria. It has been said these ancient Nok figures represent the beginnings of African art. Provenance: private Houston, Texas, USA collection, acquired in 2015, ex-Andrew Berz at Berz Gallery of African Art, San Francisco, California, USA All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm. Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping. #162919
Price: 391.50 USD It's free to register now to view!
Estimate (low-high) : 600 USD-900 USD It's free to register now to view!

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