RAFIN KURA HEAD A representative Nok terracotta head
(FIG. 15-3), found at Rafin Kura, is a fragment of what was origi-
nally a full figure. Preserved fragments of other Nok statues indicate
that sculptors fashioned standing, seated, and kneeling figures. The
heads are disproportionately large compared with the bodies. The
head shown here has an expressive face with large alert eyes, flaring
nostrils, and parted lips. The pierced eyes, mouth, and ear holes are
characteristic of Nok sculpture and probably helped to equalize the
heating of the hollow clay head during the firing process. The coif-
fure with incised grooves, the raised eyebrows, the perforated trian-
gular eyes, and the sharp jaw line suggest that the sculptor carved
some details of the head while modeling the rest. Researchers are
unclear about the function of the Nok terracottas, but the broken
tube around the neck of the Rafin Kura figure may be a bead neck-
lace, an indication that the person portrayed held an elevated posi-
tion in Nok society. The gender of the Nok artists is unknown. Be-
cause the primary ceramists and clay sculptors across the continent
are women, Nok sculptors may have been as well (see “Gender Roles
in African Art Production,” Chapter 34, page 896).LYDENBURG HEAD Later than the Nok examples are the
seven life-size terracotta heads discovered carefully buried in a pit
outside the town of Lydenburg in present-day South Africa. Radio-
carbon evidence indicates the heads date to about 500 CE. One of the
Lydenburg heads (FIG. 15-4), reconstructed from fragments, has a
humanlike form, although its inverted pot shape differs markedly
from the more naturalistic Nok heads. The artist created the eyes,
ears, nose, and mouth, as well as the hairline, by applying thin clay
fillets onto the head. The same method produced what are probably
scarification marks (scars intentionally created to form patterns on
the flesh) on the forehead, temples, and between the eyes. Incised
linear patterns also adorn the back of the head. The horizontal neck
bands, with their incised surfaces, resemble the ringed or banded
necks that are considered signs of beauty in many parts of the conti-
nent. A small, unidentifiable animal sits atop the head (compare396 Chapter 15 AFRICA BEFORE 180015-3Nok head, from Rafin Kura, Nigeria, ca. 500 bce–200 ce.
Terracotta, 1 2 ––– 163 high. National Museum, Lagos.
The earliest African sculptures in the round come from Nigeria. The Nok
culture produced expressive terracotta heads with large eyes, mouths,
and ears. Piercing equalized the heat during the firing process.
15-4Head, from Lydenburg, South Africa, ca. 500 ce.Terracotta,
1 215 –– 16 high. South African Museum, Iziko Museums of Cape Town,
Cape Town.
This Lydenburg head resembles an inverted terracotta pot and may have
been a helmet mask. The sculptor depicted the features by applying thin
clay fillets. The scarification marks are signs of beauty in Africa.1 in.1 in.