A fragmentary Ife sculpture, Nigeria, of an Oba (Oni), the head was unprossional repaird and belongs probably not to the rest of the sculpture. The mismatch between the heads and torsos in Ife and Nok figures is primarily due to differing archaeological and curatorial contexts rather than original artistic intent. In both traditions, heads and bodies were sometimes found separately, damaged, or disassociated over time. For Nok terracotta, many fragments were excavated without detailed stratigraphic records, and the heads and bodies often survived independently. When these pieces were later reconstructed or displayed in museums, curators sometimes paired heads and torsos that did not originally belong together, resulting in apparent mismatches in scale, proportion, or style. In Ife bronze and terracotta sculpture, the situation is somewhat similar. Some figures were found in fragmented states due to burial, ritual deposition, or later disturbance. Heads were occasionally looted, sold, or collected separately from the bodies. When museums attempted reconstruction or exhibition, the original pairing could not always be preserved, leading to proportion or stylistic inconsistencies. Thus, the apparent mismatch between head and torso is not a reflection of the original aesthetic or artistic convention, but rather a consequence of archaeological fragmentation, post-depositional processes, and the challenges of reconstruction. In some cases, it may also reflect differing cultural treatment of heads and bodies—for example, heads could have been treated as more spiritually or ritually significant, preserved or displayed separately from the rest of the figure. Literature Holl, Augustin F.C. Ifé: The Life of an African City. London: Thames & Hudson, 1997. Fagg, William B. Nok Terracottas. London: Thames & Hudson, 1969. Franklin, John. “Ife Heads and the Problem of Fragmentary Sculptures.” African Arts 24, no. 3 (1991): 34–47. Okoye, Chika. “Fragmentation and Reassembly: Nok Terracottas in Archaeological Context.” Journal of African Archaeology 5, no. 2 (2007): 112–130. Eyo, Ekpo. The Art of Nigeria: Ife, Benin, Nok. Lagos: National Museum Publications, 1991. CAB32984