Historical Foundation of Nigerian Arts – SS1 Visual Arts Lesson Note (Third Term)

The historical foundation of Nigerian art is the ancient traditional art of Nigeria’s peoples, made in wood, clay, bronze and stone.

• Nok: terracotta sculpture, dated 500 BC to 200 AD.
• Igbo Ukwu: bronze work, dated to the 9th century AD.
• Ife: terracotta, bronze and stone work.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. State where Nok, Igbo Ukwu and Ife art were found and when each is dated.
2. Name the people who first excavated Nok, Igbo Ukwu and Ife works.
3. Describe the main characteristics of Nok art.
4. Describe the main characteristics of Igbo Ukwu art.
5. Describe the style and characteristics of Ife art.

Why do we study the historical foundation of Nigerian art?

We study it because early art shows how Nigeria’s peoples lived, worshipped and governed.

• Many peoples: Nigeria has many tribes, languages and dialects, and each has its own artistic culture.
• Forms of expression: ancient art uses stylised and naturalistic forms and symbols such as ancestral spirits.
• Media: the main materials were wood, clay, bronze and stone.
• Culture: each tradition reflects the beliefs and way of life of the people who made it.

What are the key terms in early Nigerian art?

These terms are used throughout the topic.

• Terracotta: red clay shaped and baked (fired) in a wood fire.
• Bronze: a metal mixture, usually copper and tin, that can be cast.
• Cire perdue (lost wax): a method of casting metal using a wax model that melts away.
• Naturalistic: showing a subject as it looks in real life.
• Stylised: simplified or shaped by a set pattern, not copied exactly from life.
• Excavation: careful digging to find and record buried objects.
• Radiocarbon dating: a scientific test that estimates the age of ancient material.
• Artefact: an object made by people in the past.

What is Nok art?

Nok art is the oldest known sculpture tradition in Nigeria, made mainly of terracotta.

Where and when was Nok art found?

• Name: the tradition is named after Nok, a small village near Jema’a in Kaduna State, close to the Jos Plateau.
• 1928: the first discovery was made at a tin mining site around Nok.
• 1943: the “Jema’a head” was found at Tsauni.
• Other sites: Situ, Teruga, Agwazo, Isaun, Odegi and Kagara, south of Abuja.
• 1956: more terracotta heads were found about eight metres deep, near Jema’a, Katsina-Ala, Wamba (Benue State) and old Abuja.
• Purpose: the figures suggest traditional worship items.
• Date: radiocarbon dating places Nok art between 500 BC and 200 AD.
• Excavator: Bernard Fagg scientifically excavated Nok art between 1944 and 1945.

What are the characteristics of Nok art?

• Hairstyles: human heads have elaborate ring-like hairstyles, that is, buns.
• Pierced features: the pupils of the eyes, the nostrils and the mouth are shown as small holes.
• Geometric eyes: eyes are shaped as a segment of a circle or as a triangle.
• Adornment: some busts wear string pendants, heavy anklets, bracelets and chest beads.
• Material: the works are made of red baked clay (terracotta).
• Age: Nok is the oldest sculpture culture in Nigeria.
• Human figures: they are mainly stylised.
• Stone and iron: polished stone axes and iron ornaments show the culture began between the Stone Age and the Iron Age.

What are the styles of Nok artworks?

• Technology: the furnaces used to fire the terracotta show a high level of skill.
• Human and animal figures: human figures are usually stylised, while animal figures are highly naturalistic.
• Sub-styles: works range from semi-naturalistic to highly stylised.
• Firing skill: many pieces have lasted in good condition for over 2000 years.
• Farming: flat stones and grindstones for grinding grain show the Nok people were settled farmers.
• Society: their dress and love of personal adornment show a sophisticated society.

What is Igbo Ukwu art?

Igbo Ukwu art is a bronze tradition from Igbo Ukwu in Anambra State, dated to the 9th century AD.

• Discovery: the first objects were found in 1939.
• Method: the bronzes were cast by the lost wax (cire perdue) method.
• Excavator: Thurstan Shaw scientifically excavated the works.

What are the Igbo Ukwu excavation sites?

There are three excavation sites: Igbo Isaiah, Igbo Richard and Igbo Jonah, named after three brothers of Anozie’s family.

• Igbo Isaiah: found while Isaiah Anozie was digging a well in his compound. Finds include bronze heads, ornamented bowls, staff heads, snail-shaped vessels and terracotta water pots with rope designs.
• Igbo Richard: linked with the Eze Nri or priesthood. Finds include elephant tusks, decorated terracotta bowls, staff heads, vessels, bronze objects and beads used in burying the dead.
• Igbo Jonah: the items represent a deliberate disposal of unwanted objects, possibly including objects of a dead person.

What are the characteristics of Igbo Ukwu art?

• Decoration: the works are elaborately decorated with detailed designs.
• Material: the artworks are mostly bronze.
• Details: tiny pellets, relief spirals on pots, and insect decorations on bowls and figures.
• Forms: the emphasis is mostly on vessels and containers.

How does the lost wax (cire perdue) method work?

The lost wax method casts metal in a mould made around a wax model, which melts away.

1. Make a clay core in the rough shape of the object.
2. Cover the core with a layer of wax.
3. Carve the details of the design into the wax.
4. Cover the wax with more clay to form an outer mould, leaving small openings.
5. Heat the mould so the wax melts and runs out.
6. Pour molten bronze into the space left by the wax.
7. Let the metal cool, then break the mould to free the cast object.
8. Clean and polish the finished piece.

What is Ife art?

Ife art is the court art of Ife, the cultural headquarters and ancestral home of the Yoruba, in Osun State.

• Date: the artworks date back to the 10th to 11th century AD.
• Media: terracotta, bronze and stone.
• Excavator: the German anthropologist and ethnographer Leo Frobenius dug up some terracotta in 1910.

What is the style of Ife artworks?

• Court art: Ife art served the palace, although Benin art is more pronounced as a court art.
• Control: the Ooni of Ife controlled the art and the artists.
• Technique: the bronze works show control over the cire perdue process.
• Realism: the artworks are realistic.

What are the characteristics of Ife artworks?

• Priestly kings: shown larger than life-size, richly dressed, with beads, diadems on the head and pendants on the chest.
• Animals: animals appear only in terracotta.
• Scarification: Ife figures have profuse scarification.
• Naturalism: the works are naturalistic, that is, realistic.
• Purpose: the works were for kingly and shrine worship.

How do Nok, Igbo Ukwu and Ife art compare?

The table sets the three traditions side by side.

Evaluation

1. Why is the Nok tradition called Nok?
2. State four characteristics of Nok art.
3. Name the three sites where Thurstan Shaw excavated Igbo Ukwu works.
4. Which method was used to cast the Igbo Ukwu bronzes?
5. Name the three media used in Ife art.

Assignment

Write short notes on any two of Nok, Igbo Ukwu and Ife art. For each, state where it was found, its date, the materials used and two characteristics.