Sokoto Bust of a Bearded Male, Based

A man with a beard in fine vertical striations and a faint smile. He seems to be listening.

Nigeria has one of the longest traditions of figurative clay sculpture in Africa, and heads and busts were modeled with close attention to coiffure, adornment and expression. This terra cotta bust has a smooth, domed cap edged with a raised band, narrow slits for heavy-lidded eyes, a broad nose. A collar circles the neck. The fragmentary shoulders include a pierced lug at one side. The orange clay holds scattered gray-green deposit. Thirteen inches tall.

Dignified, in the way of men who have heard your story already.