Comparatively little is known of the Nok culture,
which is defined largely on the basis of its
superb
terracotta artworks. Flourishing between 900 BC
and 200 AD, the Nok style is a tradition, a style
of manufacture that was adopted by different
Iron-Age agriculturally- based communities that
in fact had widely varying cultures in all other
respects. What does unite the trends, however, is
a series of outstanding ceramic sculptures, which
constitute the most sophisticated and formalised
early African artistic tradition outside Egypt. It
should be noted that the sophistication of these
terracottas makes some scholars believe that
they sprang from a hitherto undiscovered
ceramic tradition. Technically, they are very
unusual because of the manner in which coiled
and subtractive sculpting methods were used to
capture likenesses. Aesthetically, they are both
naturalistic and expressionist, with highly
distinctive elongated forms, triangular eyes,
pierced pupils/nostrils and elaborate hairstyles.
Substyles of the Nok tradition include the
Classical Jemaa Style, the Katsina Ala Style
(elongated heads) and the Sokoto Style
(elongated monobrow foreheads, lending a
severe expression to the face) and random
variants such as the Herm Statues of Kuchamfa
(simplified cylindrical figures topped with normal
heads) and the “standard” three-dimensional
standing figures, which subscribe to the Jemaa
style. It is to the Jemaa group that the current
piece can be attributed. The function of the art is
unclear, although the care of
execution has led some to claim they represent
nobility, or perhaps ancestors to which obeisance
and sacrifices were offered. However, it is only
through unusual pieces like this that the full
range of Nok sculptural habits can be
ascertained.
This piece contains elements that are both
familiar and innovative. The former include the
slanted, drilled eyes under arched, matte brows
(which are often seen in later groups such as the
Yoruba), a wide-lipped mouth smiling to expose
the teeth, and a comparatively elongated face.
The nose is broad and flat – unlike the majority
of pieces that have a more aquiline or elongated
nose – the ears are large and pinnate, and the
headwear is also very unusual. This constitutes a
horned “crown”,
formed from a cap-like arrangement decorated
with circular stamps and surmounted by a pair of
thick, stubby horns that protrude from the sides
of the head in parallel with its lateral axis. The
face is further decorated with a pair of flanges
that protrude one from each cheek, lateral to the
nose and interior to the eyes.
As stated, the
role of these pieces is uncertain. The larger ones
are believed to have been placed in structures
that had ceremonial or ritual importance at the
time, thus occupying a prominent social position
within the community. Smaller ones may have
been talismans or similar. However, when it
comes to the identity of the people portrayed in
the art, rather more guesswork is required. Men,
women and fantastical personages are all
portrayed, and while one might reasonable guess
at gender implications (virility, fertility, success
in agriculture etc), unusual characters such as
this demand a more carefully contextualised
explanation.
It could of course be an
ancestor figure or even a portrait, but the
striking appearance of the piece makes such a
mundane explanation unappealing. It is probably
a representation of a mythological figure, a
shaman, an abstract concept or a spirit/deity to
which respects and perhaps libations/offerings
were paid. The size of the piece suggests a social
prominence within the community rather than a
personal item, and the care with which it was
made argues for specialist craftsmen and artists
rather than secular personal endeavour. This is,
therefore, an important and striking piece of
ancient ritual African art which deserves a
prominent place in any serious collection of
works in this field.
