1. Nok Terracotta Head
500 BC – 200 AD
In the round, subtractive sculpture
Found buried in a pit in South Africa
Oldest known figurative sculpture south of the Sahara
Hollow and produced in standing and sitting positions
Modeled individually
Heads significantly larger than bodies- Symbolizes respect for intelligence
Abstract, odd hairstyles, jewelry
Some depict suffering- ward off illness
Horizontal neck bands and incised surfaces are seen as signs of beauty
Ceremonial function

2. Head from Lyndenburg, South Africa in 500 CE
Reconstructed from fragments and has a humanlike form
The eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and hairline were made by applying thin clay fillets onto the head
Scarification marks were intentionally used to form patterns
One of the earliest art forms showing the African practice of beautifying the body through the creation of scars
The head probably had a ceremonial function

3. Equestrian Figure on Fly-whisk Hilt from Igbo Ukwu, Nigeria, 9th to 10th Century
Bronze sculpture depicting a figure seated on a horse, which is a symbol of power in many parts of West Africa.
Lower part of the sculpture is an elaborately embellished handle with beaded and threadlike patterns.
The rider is intentionally represented much larger than his steed.
On the man’s face there are prominent facial marks (scarifications) that represent a superior social position.
The object must had probably belonged to an African leader.

4. The ruler portraiture art ile-ife were types of artwork discovered by Leo Frobenius in the early 1900s
These structures were supposed to depict rulers as real as possible; they focused on naturalism. portrayed the subject a bit earlier in their life, in their prime
They were thought to be created between the 12th and 14th century
The people were of the Yoruba were the main subjects of the artwork
Mostly made from bronze, brass, and copper. aka mostly casted though some were terracotta
perforations and beads suggest that the heads had crowns made up of beads and human hair

5. Wall of Great Zimbabwe
Great Zimbabwe is a city located in South Africa
Encased a Royal Palace for the local monarch (separating commoners from royal families)
Over 32 feet tall
Enclosed the Conical Tower (which served as a granary) – grain showed power
The Conical Tower was also believed to have been built to worship the supreme god, Mwari.
Constructed in 1000 BCE to demonstrate power and to protect the commercial market of the city

6. Monolith with Bird and Crocodile
Location: Great Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe
Carved in the 15th century out of soapstone
Stood 1’2 ½” tall
The monolith stood in the ancestral shrine of a Great Zimbabwe ruler’s wife. The bird and crocodile symbolize previous rulers who act as the messengers between the living in the dead.
The bird is portrayed to be much larger than the crocodile, possibly showing more importance to it.

7. Great mosque of Djenne
Located in Djenne Mali Built in the 13th century originally, rebuilt in 1906 after a fire Used for prayer and worship Has a large courtyard and a roofed prayer hall Made of adobe

8. Queen Mother Ivory Benin, Nigeria Ca. 1520 Metropolitan Museum of Art
A waist pendent worn by a Benin King
Esigie’s mother (kings mother) helped him with welfare so the King gave her the title of Queen Mother in return
He also built her a separate palace and court
Above Ida’s head are Portuguese heads and mudfish, symbols of trade and of the sea god Olokun

9. It was located in Sierra Leone
It was created ca
It’s a depiction of an execution scene
A kneeling figure with a shield in one hand holds an ax in the other hand over another seated figure about to lose his head
On the ground before the executioner, six severed heads grimly testify to the executioner’s power

10. Djenne Archer Tubular limbs, elongated head, bulging eyes, large nose
Strange proportions
Djenne, Mali 13th-15th century
Purpose unknown
Terracotta (recording)
Islam arrival