Katsina Standing Figure of a Male, Based

The beard runs halfway down his chest, and he appears unconcerned.

This standing figure of a male is Katsina, from Northern Nigeria in West Africa, in terra cotta, dated to the early 1st century and given as about 2,000 years old. Katsina terracottas are often discussed alongside Nok work, and their exact relationship is still studied. A tube-like body carries a domed head, slit eyes, a long ridged beard and thin arms bent to the waist. The male sex is clearly modeled below a curved band. Shown on a base, 29.5 inches high.

Two thousand years, and no change in expression.