1. Africa C.E.
Content 6

2. 167. Conical Tower and circular wall of Great Zimbabwe
167. Conical Tower and circular wall of Great Zimbabwe. Southeastern Zimbabwe. Shona peoples. c CE coursed granite blocks (2 images)
Form
Stones fit together (no mortar)
Took 300 years to build
Content
Shona people
1,780 acres
18,000 people
feet tall
Function
Capital city during the iron Age,
Religious, storage of grain, trading stop (gold nearby), palace
Context
Shows power for residence of king/shona people, stone wall used to help echo to send messages far away
Themes
Power
Success
Terms
Shona
Iron Age

3. 168. Great Mosque of Djenne. Mali. Founded c
168. Great Mosque of Djenne. Mali. Founded c.1200 CE; rebuilt Adobe. (2 images).
Content
Largest mud-brick structure in the world
3rd reconstruction (1830s and 1907)
Rectangle plan
3 minarets
Ostrich eggs = fertility
Form
Mudbrick
Sudano-Sahelian architecture
Patron = King Koi Konboro
Function
Mosque
Religious building
Context
Built of local materials, all structures in area are adobe, on a trade route to so many caravans passed through to Morocco
Themes
Community
Religion
worship
Terms
Minarets
Mudbrick
adobe

4. 169. Wall plaque, from Oba’s palace. Edo peoples. Benin (Nigeria)
169. Wall plaque, from Oba’s palace. Edo peoples. Benin (Nigeria). 16th century CE Cast brass (2 images)
Form
brass
Content
Line the exterior of the palace, over 900 plaques in total.
Function
Documents court life and lineage of kings
Context
Symbol of wealth and power with trade (Portugal) Coral was traded and worn by king (Oba). The plaques tell the history of royal lineage
Themes
Trade
Wealth
power
Terms
Oba
Met Museum

5. Over the course of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries a remarkable series of some 900 rectangular brass plaques were cast in relief at the Court of Benin by a guild of brass casters for display across at the facade of the royal palace. A seventeenth century Dutch visitor to the court described the sprawling palace complex, with its many large courtyards and galleries: in the largest rooms, wooden pillars were covered from top to bottom with works depicting the array of officials at the court in great detail. In this example, the king mounting a horse is flanked by attendants rendered on a hierarchical scale that designated their relative rank.  Robert Goldwater, the Museum of Primitive Art's first director, recommended the acquisition of this Benin masterpiece, from New York gallerist John J. Klejman in At the time, Klejman claimed it was "the most important plaque which ever appeared on the market." It was the first of three exceptional masterpieces from the Kingdom of Benin acquired under Goldwater’s guidance that dramatically transformed the collection. The 16th century commemorative head of an Oba, and the Queen Mother ivory pendant mask from the same period were purchased the following year. Shortly after its acquisition, the plaque was prominently featured on the cover of the MPA’s 1958 exhibition Primitive Sculpture in Metal: Bronzes from Benin and Gold from the Americas. Met Museum website

6. 170. Sika dwa kofi (Golden Stool)
170. Sika dwa kofi (Golden Stool). Ashanti peoples (south central Ghana). c.1700 CE Gold over wood and cast-gold attachments. (2 images).
Content
Ashanti People
Founder of the people caused the stool to descend from the heavens and land in the lap of the first king (Osei Tutu)
Always placed on it side
Form
Inlaid gold
Bells
wood
Function
Houses the spirit of the Asante nation
Context
From the Gold Coast, king is divine and the stool gives that power. The stool is said to be the power of Asante nation
Themes
Spiritual/other worldly
Tradition
Terms
Asante
Osei Tutu

7. 171. Ndop (portrait figure) of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul
171. Ndop (portrait figure) of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul. Kuba peoples (Democratic Republic of the Congo). c wood. (2 images).
Content
Recorded posterity and solidified accomplishments
General king, not specific
Idealized, rounded, collar bone, emphasized head = intelligence
Form
Wood (carved)
Function
Portrait of a King
Context
No written history, only oral so unclear of context. Scultures were important markers in African societyy
Themes
Power of rule
Accomplishment
Royal success
Brooklyn Museum
Terms
King Mishe

8. 172. Power Figure (Nkisi n’kondi)
172. Power Figure (Nkisi n’kondi). Kongo peoples (Democratic Republic of the Congo). c. late 19th century CE
Wood and metal
Content
Destroyed by Europeans (sorcery!)
Depth of sharp objects = significant
-sealed with spit
Contains and releases spiritual forces
Form
Wood
Metal blades
“Spirits”
Nails
Cowrie Shells
Context
Believed sacred medicine was from heavens, carved under divine authority
Function
Nkisi nkondi, holds sacred medicines and divine power, also helps resolve conflict
Themes
Power
Spiritual
Medicinal
supernatural
Terms
Nkisi (spirit)

9. 173. Female (Pwo) mask. Chokwe peoples (Democratic Republic of the Congo). Late 19th to early 20th century CE. Wood, fiber, pigment, and metal.
Form
Wood fiber mask
Content
Idealized woman, shows quiet calm expression that is able to connect to spiritual realm, symmetrical, dots indicate tattoo
Function
Worn in performance by male dancer
Context
Honors the female in childbearing years, shows her wisdom and power. Also honors the female founder of Chokwe people
Themes
Gender, womanhood
Terms
Matrilineal
Pwo – adult woman who has given birth
National Museum of African Art,
Smithsonian Institution

10. This mask represents a beautiful young woman adorned with tattoos, earrings and an elaborate coiffure. The original Chokwe name (pwo) referred to an adult woman who had given birth. The more recent name, mwana pwo, probably adopted under European influence, emphasizes youthful, feminine beauty. The artist carved this mask with very delicate, even, thin walls from the wood Alstonia (probably congensis). The surface is a rich, reddish brown color, probably obtained from a mixture of red clay and oil, and has a beautiful patina, a sign of long use. The half-closed eyes placed in large, concave sockets are covered with white clay (kaolin). The eyes, slender nose, elliptical mouth and hemispherical ears are delicately carved on a face delineated by a softly modeled forehead and concave chin. The major components of the fiber coiffure are a braided headband and a heavy fringe at the rear. Chokwe women typically wore a hairstyle entirely coated with red earth and known as tota. The artist carved several different representations of tattoos on the mask. On the left cheek and forehead are the triangles of the tattoo known as cingelyengelye. Originally, cingelyengelye occurred as a necklace in the form of a cross,
cut from tin plate and worn by the Chokwe as an amulet. During the 17th century, Capuchin monks from the Order of Christ of Portugal had distributed medals in the form of a cross throughout Chokwe country, and this cross was probably the prototype for cingelyengelye. On the right cheek of the mask is the tattoo known as cijingo, in combination with a cross. Cijingo denotes a spiral brass bracelet. On the forehead and extending to the temples is the tattoo known as mitelumuna, or "knitted eyebrows," an allusion to discontentedness or arrogance. Under the eyes are tattoos known as masoji, signifying tears. Pwo or mwana pwo is one the most popular dancing masks among the Chokwe. Because they follow matrilineal descent, the Chokwe dance pwo to honor the founding female ancestor of the lineage. A male dancer is dressed like a woman in a costume of braided fiber that completely covers his body and hides his identity. He wears a loincloth, carries a fan and moves in slow, precise steps to emulate a woman. When the mask becomes unusable, it is discarded. When a masquerader dies, the mask is buried with the dancer.
Dark brown oval shaped female face mask with a broad forehead. The eyes are horizontal slits placed within large eye sockets coated with white pigment, the nose is long with pierced nostrils and the mouth is long and cut horizontally to form the lips. The back of the head is covered with a knotted, corded fiber coiffure.

11. Not a likeness but embodies beauty and character
174. Portrait mask (Mblo). Baule peoples (Cote d’Ivoire). Early 20th century CE Wood and pigment. (2 images).
Form
Content
Not a likeness but embodies beauty and character
Function
Portrait of female mask for performance or ritual
Context
Only important women had masks, older wiser women, passed down through family lineage and worn by the male members in the family, they were rare and only a few can be identified to their owner
Themes
gender
Baule Portrait Mask of Moya Yanso (ca ),
by Owie Kimou (d. 1948)
Height: 14 1/4 in (36.2 cm)

12. As the names of most traditional African artists did not survive, it is exceptionally rare to know the name of an artist, and rarer still to know both his and the name of the subject represented. The Kunin Mask is such an exceptionally rare case. Based on field research conducted by Susan Vogel between 1971 and 1996, the Kunin Mask was created by Owie Kimou of Kami (d. 1948) as portrait of Moya Yanso (ca – 1973), a woman renowned throughout Kami for her ideal beauty.  Vogel (loc. cit.: 137) notes: “This mask was carved around 1913 by Owie Kimou, Kami’s most celebrated artist (d. 1948) on a commission from Moya Yanso’s new husband, a famous dancer who originally wore it. The mask was later danced by Yanso’s son, Soule and later still by Ndri (ca ), and by his older brother, her husband’s two sons by another wife. Yanso continued to accompany the mask for many years, until she was no longer physically able. Later, her granddaughter accompanied it, in increasingly rare performances, until it was sold in the mid-1990s.”

13. 175. Bundu Mask. Sande Society, Mende peoples (West African forests of Sierra Leone and Liberia). 19th to 20th century CE Wood, cloth, and fiber. (2 images).
Content
Idealized beauty and moral goodness combined, danced by a young woman, knowledge of dance.
Zone 1: neck rolls
Zone 2: face (small mouth, high forehead, nearly closed eyes, scarification on cheeks (though not found on Mende people)
Zone 3: complex coiffures, many elements can be added (horns, animals,
Form,
Helmet/mask
Function
Masquerade or performance called Bundu or Sowei, Life Transition, Moral Guidance. Worn during a girls initiation or coming of age. Worn on top of the head
Context
The girls were taken into the forest to teach the ways of being a good wife, mother etc. This was an initiation ritual and the mask was worn in the performance after they have completed the transition. Kept private/secret until performed. Masks were made by the men.
Themes
Gender
Beauty
Ritual
Water
Terms
Bundu/Sowei
Sande
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture,
The New York Library

14. 176. Ikenga (shrine figure). Igbo peoples (Nigeria). c
176. Ikenga (shrine figure). Igbo peoples (Nigeria). c.19th to 20th century CE Wood.
Content
Male Power, Personal
Large horns (often ram), right hand often holds sword, left hand often holds severed head, often seated, surfaces encrusted from , can be attended to daily with offerings
Form
Tall, abstracted male figure
Function
Igbo Personal Shrine Figure, show achievements of the owner, not a portrait but a symbolic representation
Context
Personal Shrine, “Ikenga is the place of strength” to assist the owner to accomplish what they wish.
Themes
Religion/Sacred
Moveable Shrine
Male Power
Terms
Igbo
Ikenga
Shrine
Origin: Nigeria. Material Size: Wood. Credit Line: Werner Forman Archive / Tara Collection, New York. Location: 10.
Photo Credit:
HIP / Art Resource, NY
Image Reference: AR
Image size:
2152 X 4196 px

15. Among many Igbo and neighboring cultures men would establish Ikenga, shrines to the power of their right hand, either to give thanks for their success and pray for more, or as a way of resisting failure in life.
Among many Igbo and neighboring cultures men would establish Ikenga, shrines to the power of their right hand, either to give thanks for their success and pray for more, or as a way of resisting failure in life. Ikenga represent individual achievement not that of the lineage or the gods. Country of Origin: Nigeria. Culture: Igbo. Date/Period: 19th-20th C.

16. 177. Lukasa (memory board). Mdudye Society, Luba peoples (Democratic Republic of the Congo). c.19th and 20th century CE Wood, beads, and metal. (2 images).
Content
Beads helped serve as a memory device about the history of the people. The diviners would touch and feel the different beads to remind them of what occurred.
Form
Wood, beads, metal
Function
Divination Board
Royal History, history was performed, not read
Context
Those who can read the board were called ‘diviners’. Aid in the retelling of Luba history and was performed with dance and song
Themes
History
Terms
Mnemonic
Mdudye Society

17. 178. Aka elephant mask. Bamileke (Cameroon, western grassfields region). c.19th to 20th century CE wood, woven raffia, cloth, and beads. (2 images)
Form
Geometric beading on long, vertical fabric, large round ears, highly stylized
Content
Context
Worn in a performance that honors the king, mimics a leopard pattern to show strength. Leopards and elephants were symbols of kingship
Function
Performance mask to show royal power
Terms
Aka
Bamileke
Themes
Royal Power
Performance of Power
Men Society
Met Museum

18. Bilateral Symmetry, Stylized Geometric shapes
179. Reliquary figure (byeri). Fang peoples (southern Cameroon). c.19th to 20th century CE wood
Form
Wooden figure
Content
Bilateral Symmetry, Stylized Geometric shapes
Context
Guards relics, wards off evil and invaders, not human but a guardian figure that suggests one approach with honor and respect. Fang people were nomadic so no cemeteries. Needed portability
Function
Guardian of ancestral bones/possessions in container. Funerary
Brooklyn Museum
Themes
Death
Ancestral Spirits
funerary
Terms
Byeri
Fang
Reliquary Figure

19. Reliquary Guardian Figure (Eyema-o-Byeri)
Artist: Master of Ntem
Culture: Fang (Mvai subgroup)
Medium: Wood, iron
Place Made: Gabon
Dates: mid-18th to mid-19th century
Reliquary Guardian Figure (Eyema-o-Byeri)
ART OF THE BODY These five artworks from throughout the African continent display the range of approaches artists have taken to figural representation. They prove that the Western tradition of naturalism— depicting the body precisely as observed in life—is not even remotely the only possibility open to an artist.  The Mossi mask celebrates the female form. While it is not an exact replica of the body, the proportions are relatively balanced. The Yoruba tapper, used with a board to draw images during divinations, was carved with more exaggerated proportions, partly in order to contain it within the functional form of a tapper and the shape of the ivory from which it was carved.  The Fang figure, a masterpiece by a known artist or workshop, has primarily been reduced to a series of basic shapes—cylinders and circles. The legs and hips are conceived as the intersection of two perpendicular cylinders, echoing the cylindrical reliquary box on which the figure sat. The small Nsapo-Nsapo work and the Chamba figure take the abstraction of the human form even further by greatly exaggerating the proportions. The Nsapo-Nsapo example's stretched arms and the Chamba sculpture's outsized hands suggest different emotional states for these two protective figures—a tense anxiety, perhaps, in one and a lumbering aggression in the other. Brooklyn Museum website
Dimensions: 23 x 5 7/8 x 5 in. (58.4 x 14.9 x 12.7 cm)  

20. Art Institute of Chicago
180. Veranda post of enthroned king and senior wife (Opo Ogoga). Olowe of Ise (Yoruba peoples). c CE Wood and pigment.
Content
King seated on throne, senior wife behind, junior wife at his feet, trickster Esu playing the flute
Form
Wooden sculpture
Function
Architectural Sculpture
Context
Was one of four carved posts by artist Olowe of Ise for the royal palace at Ikere. Suggests kings dependence on other, especially his senior wife, who shows support of him in the piece
Themes
Royal Power
Royal Family
Art Institute of Chicago

21. AIC website (see additional information at site)
This veranda post is one of four sculpted for the palace at Ikere by the renowned Yoruba artist Olowe of Ise. It is considered among the artist's masterpieces for the way it embodies his unique style, including the interrelationship of figures, their exaggerated proportions, and the open space between them. While the king is the focal point, his portrayal suggests a ruler's dependence on others. The stately female figure behind the king represents his senior wife. Her large scale and pose, with hands on the king's throne, underscore her importance. She had the critical role of placing the power-invested crown on the king's head during his coronation. Moreover, the senior wife used political acumen and spiritual knowledge to protect the king's interests during his reign. The small figures at the king's feet represent a junior wife, the flute-playing trickster-god Esu, and a fan bearer, now missing.
AIC website (see additional information at site)