A beautiful and important fragmentary bust in the great classical Sokoto style. The figure appears to be wearing a cap on his head and a three-row necklace around his neck. The face exudes serenity, the half-closed eyelids are marked by thick, ridged eyebrows, while the thin beard projecting from the chin reinforces the work's hieratic presence. Sokoto, Mali Dating: 500 BC - 500 AD Thermoluniscence test, Alliance Science Art - Francine Maurer, Ref : 21.18.12 - TL 210.174 (25 / 10 / 2000) Red ochre terracotta, old cracks consolidated by infiltration, probable restoration on the top of the skull (original piece), beautiful ochre slip. H. 39 cm Provenance : - Pierre Dartevelle, Brussels - Marc Blanpain Collection, Brussels Publications and Exhibitions : - Grunne (de), Dreams of beauty. African Sculptures from the Blanpain Collection, 2005, no. 31, Luxembourg, Banque Générale du Luxembourg, October 25 - December 2, 2005