The remarkable *Man Resting His Chin on His Knee* (500 BCE–500 CE) offers a glimpse into Africa’s ancient past. Why is this Nok masterpiece, now in the Louvre, so significant?

The Nok were the first people south of the Sahara to create large, hollow terracotta sculptures. Without modern kilns, they mastered the firing process well enough to keep the clay from cracking in intense heat.

Wooden figures were lost to the climate, but terracotta endured. Details such as hairstyles and beads reveal the fashions and social status of the time.

The contemplative pose, almond-shaped eyes, and pierced pupils—hallmarks of Nok art—helped shape African sculpture and later inspired the European avant-garde of the 20th century.

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