Africa, Katsina, modern day Nigeria, ca. 200 BCE to 100 CE. This large clay standing figure -- which was once probably a funerary marker -- has a proportionally large head and a long, cylindrical body; the remaining half arm is decorated with cross-hatching (representing scarification?) and the hair and beard are incised into clear designs. The facial features are small but expressive and the ears are prominent. Katsina state in modern day northwest Nigeria is in the Niger River Valley, roughly contemporary with the Nok culture to its south and the Sokoto culture in the same river valley, was located between the ancient city of Kano and trade routes that led across the Sahara to pharaonic Egypt. Bayard Rustin (yes that one!), who originally collected the Katsina collection for the Yale University Art Gallery, recorded that most terracotta pieces like this one were found in large manmade mounds. Characteristic Katsina figures, like those of the Sokoto culture, are large, hollow, thin-walled, and low-fired human figures. Most of these figures were probably attached to globular jars and may have been funerary markers. They are made of a rough earthenware mixed with quartz and mica and have a reddish slip made from either mica or schist. Size: 4.75" L x 7.5" W x 17.5" H (12.1 cm x 19 cm x 44.4 cm)

Provenance: Ex. Peter Arnovick Collection

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#112545

Intact head and body with breakage around navel and to both arms, with almost all original slip remaining and features clear. Very nice condition.