123 - Small head of a buffalo

Nok piece of surprising modernism, combining realism and humor

The realism of this small 1,500 year-old piece is astonishing, and similar to certain anthropomorphic features present in the Nok tradition (the nostrils, the ears and the eyes are all hollowed out). This young ruminant is represented with humour as if it could have been sketched by a modern cartoonist.

The ethnic and ancestral precursor of our famous "Laughing Cow" ("La Vache qui rit") seen on the packaging of a French cheese for children…

H. 14 cm x L. 11 cm x W. 10 cm
Dating : 1,300 to 1,800 years
Private collection (France)

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