An important, rare and ancient seated statue characteristic of the great classical Nok style. The human figure, surely a powerful sorcerer, holds a small feline figure in his left hand, illustrating his power of communication between the animal and human worlds. Through a clever play on proportions, the artist has also illustrated man's power over the animal world. Added to this is the extreme richness of the adornments, which almost completely cover the figure's body, and the sophistication of its hairstyle. Within the archaic Nok corpus, this work stands out as an emblematic piece. Nok culture, Nigeria Date: 650 BC - 350 AD Thermoluniscence test, Alliance Science Art - Francine Maurer, Ref : 16.10.24 - TL 712.060 (15 / 12 / 1997) Fine-grained ochre terracotta with slight mineral inclusions, visible old cracks, fine old crazing, beautiful ochre terracotta slip. H. Height : 51 cm Provenance : - Pierre Dartevelle, Brussels - Marc Blanpain Collection, Brussels Publications and Exhibitions: - Grunne (de), Naissance de l'art en Afrique noire, la statuaire nok au Nigeria, 1998, p. 90, n° 48, Luxembourg, Banque Générale du Luxembourg, October 20 - December 13, 1998