African sculptures

The terracotta pottery heads were the earliest sculptures and the most of these structures were fragments of the figures. These figures were from the Nok culture of Nigeria and also are dated around the 500BC through to 200AD. These sculptures are made from the grog and also iron clay which I rich but none of these were found in the natural setting and they also demonstrate the strong and abstract figure which was representation and exists in Africa over 2500 years. They used  to produce the  oldest sculptures in  black Africa they also  continued to influence the west African cultures  and  also  the  tradition  of art.  These  figures were  only  be found the head and  it  is  also  possible  that  one day  these figures  were a whole  figure  not  only the head and  this  might be caused  because  the figures got eroded.

African sculptors are not only  made  out  of  clay  but  are made from  different  type of material  such  as wood carving, stone carving, bronze, metal , ivory and also  sometimes it was used the mixed media as well. These masks and figures sometimes as the tradition of Africa were meant for the religion on which they believed. Also in these sculptors we see a lot of detail which some of them are very small and interesting at the same time.

Nok terracotta head

Jos museum, Nigeria

(The terracotta clay slip has eroded away leaving a grainy pock-marked original surface)

African art history. 2013. African art history. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.contemporary-african-art.com/african-art-history.html#sthash.UAOQGzu5.dpbs

. [Accessed 14 May 2013].

African sculpture. 2013. African sculpture. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.contemporary-african-art.com/african-sculpture.html#sthash.YmS7zQ5u.dpbs

. [Accessed 14 May 2013].