Art and Life in Pre-modern Africa, Early Artistic Exchanges Flashcards
Main art forms, mediums and techniques in Africa
Zulu kingdom
Shaka (Zulu king) defeated Europeans and kept Zimbabwe
The Great Mosque- Timbuktu, Mali 1327
King Mansa Musa very wealthy and poweful, he constructed a mosque made of mud in 1327. The sticks cleverly designed to maintain the structure, serve as a ladder and absorb excess water.
What was the Benin kingdom?
A kingdom in Nigeria established in the 12th century.
Why would a king (Oba) want artists to work for him?
What were the only high status Women in the Benin kingdom?
Mother of the King- elongation of the head in this culture is sacred, it shows the wisdom that allows prosperity in the kingdom. Beads around an elongated neck also represent the figures’ high status. Fish around the base of the Lyabo (Queen mother) remind us of our close relationship with fishing and the sea.
How were people orginised in the Bene Kingdom
They were orginised into Guilds- groups of people who worked in the court. High officials, they included:
The British Destruction- Benin kingdom
In 1897 the British forces destroyed the Benin Kingdom, stealing 100s of important artworks. Ones with immense importance to the Benin people, such as the Bronze Plaques used to represent the historical documents of a kingdom.
The importance of Leopards to Benin (Pair of leopards)
Leopards represent the King, and are sacrificed in rituals to show the King’s power and strengthen it.
Pre colonial indigenous religion in Africa
Polytheism, deities for River, Thunder, Creativity, and Earth deities. Some who control agriculture and shrines made for them where offerings are left.
The Antelope’s importance to the Bambara peoples of Mali
Bambara peoples believed in a deity that had come to earth and discovered agriculture: The Chi Wara. By coming to the Earth and teaching people to hunt, and plant seeds they ensured humanities survival. The mask is zoomorphic and anthromorphic combined. The masks of the Chi Wara come as a pair of man and women and they represent productivity. At the beggining of each planting season, offerings are made to the Chi Wara to show appreciation for a beautiful harvest. Lots of these masks have been locked up- removing them from their original intended context and making them lose their vitality.
What was traded between the Benin Kingdom (Nigeria) and Europeans
Most reviered material in Pre-modern Africa
Copper alloys, bronze and brass. They were malleable, more so than gold and so were very useful for crafting plaques and pots. In Ghana gold was traded for copper alloys.
What elements make Bronze
Usually more green
Cu + Zn ( HIgher zinc, more yellow colour)
What elements make Brass
Usually more yellow
Cu + Tin
Bronze plaque representing the crossroads between Portugese and the Benin Kingdom of Nigeria
High zinc level makes it more yellow, this plaque depicts a Portugese man in traditional European clothes. This is a representation of the contact between these two cultures, and we can see the perspective of the Bene people on the Europeans. They seem to have a positive relationship based on the depiction of this man, and there is even evidence to suggest they fought side by side. This man was most likely trading those 5 manillas.
Mask representing the crossroads of Portugese and Sande Society
Janus faced Sowei mask of the Sande society
One face African one face European, shows the relationship between the cultures was very close. This mask was worm by women when coming of age, this art object literally caught between the different worlds in a physical depiction of this duality and cultural hybridity.
What were Manillas
What was the Punative Expidition
The British destroyed the Bene kingdom, the British attempted to enter during a festival where no one was supposed to enter and after getting refused multiple times they killed some British soldies. The british left and returned with an army of men, so they exiled the king and looted valuables- some still present in the British Museum/ western museums today.
The importance of Bronze plaques for recording the History of the Benin peoples
Instead of written characters, the Benin people documented events using bronze plaques which they would form using the ‘Lost wax technique’.
What is the ‘Lost wax process’ of metal casting (give an example)
Molten metal poured into a mould made from wax, wax cast still used in Guinea and Nigeria today. Example: Ooni of Ife (King of Ife). The process begins with beeswax, latex, or another material with a low melting point. It must be soft enough for carving fine details, but hard enough to retain its shape. After the wax object has been carved, increasingly coarse layers of clay are applied to the object and allowed to dry.
African power figures: Mangaaka Power Figure (Nkisi N’Kondi) of Kongo people
That power was represented as a presiding authority and enforcing lord or king. Its crowning element is the distinctive mpu headdress worn by chiefs or priests. The figure’s posture and gesture, leaning forward with hands placed akimbo on the hips, is the aggressive attitude of one who challenges fearlessly. Traces of a missing beard-a sign of seniority-survive in the form of nails along the contours of the chin. There are also vestiges of an abdominal cavity for medicinal matter that originally attracted the figure’s defining force. The various metals embedded in the figure’s expansive torso attest to its central role as witness and enforcer of affairs critical to its community. They document vows sealed, treaties signed, and efforts to eradicate evil. Ultimately, this work inspired reflection on the consequences of transgressing established codes of social conduct.
