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A VERY LARGE TERRACOTTA FIGURE OF A MALE DEITY, NOK CULTURE, NIGERIA, 500 BC-200 AD
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04月16日 下午5点 开拍 /14天2小时
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A VERY LARGE TERRACOTTA FIGURE OF A MALE DEITY, NOK CULTURE, NIGERIA, 500 BC-200 ADScientific Analysis Report: A thermoluminescence analysis report issued by Oxford Authentication on 25 February 2026, based on sample number N126b93, sets the firing date of all three samples taken between 1500 and 2400 years ago, consistent with the dating above. A copy of the report accompanies this lot.Finely worked to depict a slender, kneeling figure holding a bird-form vessel in the left hand, tapering to a conical opening. Bindings encircle the neck, arms, and torso, lending the composition a taut presence. The face is boldly modeled with large triangular eyes and pierced pupils, a broad nose above an open mouth showing teeth, and a pronounced forehead. The head is surmounted by a hat, completing the compact yet expressive appearance.Provenance: Collection of André Gué, France. The collection of Dr. Herbert Stepic, Vienna, Austria, acquired from the above. André Gué was a French engineer and economist with significant experience in international development. He worked for many years as a senior official at the World Bank, where he managed country programs worldwide, including in Eastern Africa and later in Latin America and the Caribbean. Over the course of more than fifty years, he built an impressive collection of African art, renowned for its depth and quality. His deep involvement with African development provided him with invaluable connections and firsthand knowledge of the continent's rich cultural heritage. Dr. Herbert Stepic (born 1946) is a distinguished Austrian banker and one of the foremost private collectors of African art in Europe. Over the course of four decades, he has built one of the best and largest collections on the continent, comprising approximately 1,500 exceptional works that represent the diverse cultures of sub-Saharan Africa. Among the highlights are extensive Dogon iron works from Mali and significant examples from the Nok, Sokoto, and Katsina cultures. In recognition of his achievements as a collector, Dr. Stepic was awarded the viennaARTaward in 2017. Despite the remarkable scale of his collection, he has never before parted with a piece, making this sale a historic first for him.Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Expected wear, firing irregularities, signs of burial, encrustations, visible losses, cracks, small chips, and old repairs around the waist and right arm — all consistent with known examples from this corpus.Weight: 30 kg Dimensions: Height 86 cmNok terracottas are the earliest known sculptures from ancient Nigeria. Sculptures of this kind were first discovered in 1943 by Bernard Fagg near the northern Nigerian village of Nok, after which the culture that produced them was named.Most Nok sculpture is hollow and coil-built like pottery. Finely worked to a resilient consistency from local clays and gravel, the millennia-long endurance of these ancient objects is a testament to the technical ability of their makers. This is not to say that Nok sculpture has survived unchanged by time. The slip of many Nok terracottas has eroded, leaving a grainy, pocked exterior that does not reflect their original smooth appearance. Most of the Nok sculpture found consists of what appear to be portrait heads and bodies fragmented by damage and age. The recovered portions of the baked clay bodies that have survived show that they were sculpted in standing, sitting, and genuflecting postures.Although every Nok sculpture is unique, certain stylistic traits are found throughout the corpus of known work. Triangular eyes and perforated pupils, noses, mouths, and ears combine to depict men and women with bold, abstracted features. Perhaps the most striking aspects of Nok sculptures are the elaborately detailed hairstyles and jewelry that adorn many of the figures. The variety, inventiveness, and beauty of their design is a beguiling record of cultivated devotion to body ornamentation.Literature comparison:Compare a related male figure, Northern Nigeria, Nok Culture, dated ca. 195 BC -205 AD, 49.5 cm high, in the Kimbell Art Museum, accession number AP 1996.03.Auction result comparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: Zacke, Vienna, 16 October 2025, lot 269Price: EUR 58,500 or approx. EUR 59,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing: A terracotta figure of a male deity, Nok culture, Nigeria, 500 BC-200 ADExpert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and decoration with similar pose, facial features, and ribbed bands. Note the size (75 cm).

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拍品估价:12,000 - 24,000 欧元 起拍价格:12,000 欧元  买家佣金:

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