Diminutive in scale yet visually commanding, this terracotta head of a woman exemplifies the extraordinary skill of Ife potters. The finely modeled facial features, including softly arched brows, a serene expression, and full lips, convey a sense of lifelike presence. The elaborate hairstyle, meticulously incised with fine patterns, highlights the artist's attention to detail and the cultural importance of hairstyles in Ife society.

Head of a Woman

This terracotta head is considered one of the finest of its period. Like many other Ife terracotta and bronze heads, it has striations. Some scholars believe these to be a type of ancient facial scarification. Others have suggested they are the effect created by seeing a face through the fringe of beads hanging from a crown, though this theory would only be plausible in figures representing kings. If the striations are scarification marks, they are no longer used at Ife, even at the time when the figure was found, but similar marks were made by the Igbo (called ichi) and Tera people.