Nok female bust, Nigeria Terracotta H. 31 cm Dating : 2300 BC (certificate of thermoluminescence ASA - Ref. 26.10.25 TL 206.054). Provenance : French private collection Rare example of the Nok statuary, detaching itself from the stylistic canons of beauty of the classical corpus, presenting a "realistic" face. The mouth with its subtly drawn contours announces beautiful full lips. Small hollowed out eyes under which a half-circle is engraved. A small fine nose flattened. The top of the face, from her temples to her forehead, is perfectly rounded, the circular shape of her hairline intensifies the softness of this roundness. Representation of a figure of high rank, by the ornaments she wears with pride and majesty, a necklace magnifies her presence and beauty, as well as a bracelet on the right forearm, a badge of power, a distinctive sign of belonging to the elite. She wears a beautiful, singularly slender hairstyle, made up of a regular series of discoidal shapes. The sculpture is marked by pride, serenity and elegance.