Unit 6: Art of Africa Flashcards
Great Zimbabwe: Identifiers
Style: Shona People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Zimbabwe
Date: 1000-1400 CE
Great Zimbabwe: Form
- 3 distinct sections of
Great Zimbabwe: 1. The Hill Ruins
2. The Great Enclosure (circular wall)
3. the Valley Ruins - Walls 800 feet long, 32 ft. tall
- built from cut granite blocks, walls slope inward
- smaller stone structures and towers
*conical tower is surrounded by circular wall
Great Zimbabwe: Function
- Conical tower: used as a granary, A Shona ruler showed their power by the amount of grain they had
- Circular wall: demonstrates power, protect houses, people, and markets, site of religious rituals, wall separated commoners from royal families
Great Zimbabwe: Content
- Zimbabwe was a trading center and royal complex; items from Persia, China, Tanzania found
- 250 clay structures: interior furnishing
- built around cave that held religious importance to Shona people
- large towers connected to the wall provide a 360 view of approaching enemies
Great Zimbabwe: Context
- Zimbabwe means “houses of stone”
- internal and external passageways tightly bounded, narrow, and long; occupants walk in single file, paralleling experiences in African bush
- conical tower modeled on traditional shapes of grain silos; control over food symbolized wealth, power, and royal largesse
- tower resembles a granary and represented a good harvest and prosperity; grain gathered, stored, and dispensed as a symbol of royal power
- abandoned around 15th century, surrounding area could no longer supply food + deforestation
Great Zimbabwe: Context 2
- soapstone sculpture of a seated bird resting on atop a register: discovered within circular wall
- sculpture though to represent power of Shona kings
- Conical tower believed to be made to worship the supreme all creator god, Mwari
- Shone are the largest ethnic group in Zimbabwe
Great Mosque of Djenne: Identifiers
Style: Islamic Architecutre
Artist: Unknown
Location: Mali
Date: 1200 CE
Great Mosque of Djenne: Form
- 3 tall towers; center tower is a mihrab
- vertical fluting drains water off the surfaces quickly
- made from abode (mud brick)
- rectilinear and partly enclosed by an exterior wall
- supported by 90 pillars, 3 minarets
- earthen roof, terracotta lids cover holes on the roof
*Toron’s - timer poles pole out of the mosque called torons for decoration and climbing the mosque for replastering
Great Mosque of Djenne: Function
- Largest mud-brick mosque in the world: still has a practicing congregation, epicenter for religious and cultural life
- Location of Crepissage, a festival dedicated to replastering of the Mosque
- political symbol to Europe: French took control in 1892
Great Mosque of Djenne: Content
Topping conical pillars are ostrich eggs: symbols of fertility, purity, & good fortune
* timber beams throughout are both decorative and structural
Great Mosque of Djenne: Context
- inhabited since 250 bce, djenne became a market center and important link in the trans-Saharan gold trade
- rebuilt 3 times: built by first Muslim ruler in Djenne- Koi Konboro, Islamic culture had impact on region
- tombs of scholars adjacent to mosque
- French journalist Felix Dubois published plan for 1907 rebuilding
Wall Plaque, from Oba’s Palace: Identifiers
Style: Edo People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Benin
Date: 1500 CE
Wall Plaque, from Oba’s Palace: Form
- lost wax casting technique
- brassworking took technical skill
- traditional depictions of figures from Beninese culture combined with brass work of European cultures
- Manilla: bracelet worn by Portuguese, melted down to make plaques
Wall Plaque, from Oba’s Palace: Function
- Decorated palace walls: made in Paris and attached to pillars in Oba’s palace
- show court rituals that occurred in the palace
- order of plaques in kingdom show history of kingdom
- sequence unknown due to items being taken by westerners in 19th century
Wall Plaque, from Oba’s Palace: Content
- king attended by several court attendants: attendants appear smaller, less important than the king
- king shown riding a horse and wearing expensive necklaces and jewelry: reference to first Oba to travel by horse
- Rosette may be reference to Christian crosses or designs illuminated manuscripts
Wall Plaque, from Oba’s Palace: Context
- trade with Portuguese empire: began 15th century
- 18th century: Portuguese empire began declining
- British began advancing into Benin: tension; British sought to dominate local peoples and extract resources
- Punitive Expedition of 1897: British raided Oba’s palace and burned city around it
- took art valuables back to Britain: this piece was stolen, ownership currently under debate
Sika dwa kofi (Golden Stool): Identifiers
Style: Ashanti People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Ghana
Date: 1700 CE
Sika dwa kofi (Golden Stool): Form
- made of wood and gold
- carved using traditional Ashanti methods
- carved using a single block of wood
- crescent shaped seat that is held off the ground by a flat base
Sika dwa kofi (Golden Stool): Function
- stool is divine throne of Ashanti people
- bells on stool supposed to warn king of danger
- stool used in celebrations and processions
- believed to embody spirit of Ashanti nation
- nobody allowed to sit on it so they keep it on its side`
Sika dwa kofi (Golden Stool): Content
- carved wood block coverd with gold
- 2 bells tied to each end of it
- contains intricate designs in midsection connecting seat to the base
- seen with small figures attached to seat
Sika dwa kofi (Golden Stool): Context
- when each person comes of age they are given a stool from their parents
- each person gets their own stool and people do not share them
- high Priest Okomfo Anokye go the stool to drop into the lap of the first king
- stool is more important to the Ashanti people than the king
- many conflicts have broken out over it most recent in 1921
Ndop of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul: Identifiers
Style: Kuba People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Democratic Republic of Congo
Date: 1760 CE
Ndop of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul: Form
- carved out of wood
- intricate detailing on arms, drums, face, and platform
- 1978 inches
Ndop of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul: Function
- commemorates accomplishments of King it portrays
- record of the king’s reign
Ndop of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul: Content
- anthropomorphic figure with enlarged head
- head considered center of intelligence and idea
- sits corss-legged on raised platform
- holds royal drum and wears a hat (crown?)
Ndop of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul: Context
- commissioned in 1710 by Kuba King Mishe … maMbul at height of his reign
- celebrates his generosity and great number of loyal subjects
- Ndop is record of his reign and solidifies his accomplishments
- purchased by Brooklyn Museum in 1961
- collected in 1909 by a colonial minister in Belgian Congo Kuba people di not have written historical records; instead used Ndops
Power Figure (Nkisi n’kondi): Identifiers
Style: Kongo People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Democratic Republic of Congo
Date: 1875 CE
Power Figure (Nkisi n’kondi): Form
- wood and metal; a power figure (a magical form seemingly carved in the likeness of a human)
Power Figure (Nkisi n’kondi): Function
- Strong sculptural tradition
- used power figures as reminders of social obligations and enforcers of proper behavior
- healing and protection to community
- symbolize honoring of contracts and agreements
- wooden figure mean to highlight its function in human affairs
Power Figure (Nkisi n’kondi): Content
- elongated belly button with cowrie shell, symbols of fertility, link to ancestors, and wealth (shells used as currency)
- wide, staring eyes and imposing stance- ensure no other forces interfere ritual function
- medicinal combinations inside them, covered by a piece of glass, represents other world, symbolized contact with supernatural
Power Figure (Nkisi n’kondi): Context
- spiritual importance and protection
- mediators between ancestral spirit world and living world
- historic document of people who look for help from ritual specialist
*confiscated/destroyed by missionaries of late 19th century when found - carved by spiritual specialist who activiate4s figures by driving metal objects into wooden surface to make it angry and rouse to action
Female (Pwo) Mask: Identifiers
Style: Chakwe People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Democratic Republic of Congo
Date: 1900 CE
Female (Pwo) Mask: Form
- Wooden mask, carved from wood Alstonia
- wood stained with red clay and oil
- eyes covered in white clay
- braided fiber coiffure
- made by a man & worn by a man to honor a women (mothers)
Female (Pwo) Mask: Function
- dancing mask: ritualistic/religious- walked in a graceful and stately way, slow and respectful
- one of the most popular masks
- honor the founding female ancestor of Chakwe lineage: matrilineal society
Female (Pwo) Mask: Content
- Pwo: younger woman who has given birth
- adorned jewelry, tattoos, and elaborate hairstyle
- eyes closed - she is already knowing: spiritual ability of second sight, power comes from being able to give birth
- tattoos- around eyes
- hairstyle popular at the time: women could see themselves in this mask
Female (Pwo) Mask: Context
- matrilineal culture
- dance the pwo to honor founding female ancestor of their lineage
- man dresses as woman for the dance
- when mask becomes unusable it dis discarded, when the wearer dies it is buried with the dancer
- culture relatively unknown to Europeans: did not begin trading till 1900s, traded with other African groups
Portrait Mask (Mblo): Identifiers
Style: Baule People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Côte d’Ivoire
Date: 1900 CE
Portrait Mask (Mblo): Form
- made of wood
- symmetrical
- high foreheads and large eyes
Portrait Mask (Mblo): Function
- dancing mask (religious)
- showed beauty of Baule culture
- Mblo masks shows Baule sculpture style
Portrait Mask (Mblo): Content
- pays tribute to community’s most admired member: man normally gave woman mask to award her for her dancing skills & beauty
- woman is Moya Hanso and man is her stepson
Portrait Mask (Mblo): Context
- shows respect Baule people have for their ancestors
- masks were carv3ed to represent a specific person (though not a portrait) so each one was different)
- mask shows refined details and powerful presence
- individuals are honored by these details
Bundu Mask: Identifiers
Style: Mende People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Sierra Leone
Date: 1900 CE
Bundu Mask: Form
- carved out of wood
- coated with palm oil: glow/shiny surface
- worn on top of the head- not in front of the face
- face of the wearer is obscured by raffia
Bundu Mask: Function
- made by a man
- worn by women and ritual was for women: initiation of young girls, instructed on how to become good wives and mothers in order to have productive adulthood
- represents ideal feminine beauty: white clay - dry
Bundu Mask: Content
- shiny surface on mask represents healthy glowy skin
- rolls at back of neck: fertility and reproduction/ wealth and high status
- mouth - small and pursed indicated composure, not gossip (dangerous)
- nose delicate looking, loathing of bad smells, pureness
- eyes cast downward, goodness, reveals a persons true feelings/reserved
- eyes are slits: conceal identity and make it impossible to communicate w eye contact
Bundu Mask: Context
- Sande Society is a secret society, mask and society instructs girls how to cook, raise kids, be good wife, cultural values
- surface of mask indicates transition to womanhood
- one of the only masks made for women, most made for men
- costume worn in ceremony is made of raffia, no part of body left 3exposed to not allow spirits to enter and to not let identity be known
Ikenga (Shrine Figure): Identifiers
Style: Igbo People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Nigeria
Date: 1900 CE
Ikenga (Shrine Figure): Form
- carved wooden sculpture
- extreme variation in size
- taller than they are wide
Ikenga (Shrine Figure): Function
- Personal use: source of strength and power for the owner, designs and carvings to show that you were an expert at your profession
- not meant to be a true portrait
- kept in home of owner, in sanctuary
Ikenga (Shrine Figure): Content
- human face and animal attributes
- most ikenga hold a sword in their right hand
- figure carved to represent who3ever commissioned figure to be made
- horns represent owners individual identity
Ikenga (Shrine Figure): Context
- made by Igbo people of present day Nigeria
- Igbo civilization began in 19th century and still survives
- most of the art was not meant to be interpreted literally
Lukasa (Memory Board): Identifiers
Style: Luba People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Democratic Republic of Congo
Date: 1900 CE
Lukasa (Memory Board): Form + Function
Form: wood, beads, metal, handheld wooden objects
Function: * illustrate political and historical ideas
* enables oral retelling of history in Luba culture
* periodically used in spiritual rituals
* allude to ancestral deities; record names of royal Luba line
Lukasa (Memory Board): Content
- wooden boards covered with beads, metal, and shells, assembled so as to tell a story
- narrow center of board- easier to hold
Lukasa (Memory Board): Context
- provides info on how they maintain order and discipline in society
- only most senior members of the council can interpret boards
- Luba had access to a great variety of natural resources
- read by touching surface with forefinger
Aka Elephant Mask: Identifiers
Style: Bamileke People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Cameroon
Date: 1900 CE
Aka Elephant Mask: Form
- tunic made of brown cloth with geometric shapes
- mask made out of black fabric with small blue, white, gold and orange beads and circular diamond shapes
Aka Elephant Mask: Function
- mask was sued during masquerades: demonstrate social hierarchy
- patterns on mask represent societies political factions
Aka Elephant Mask: Content
- 2 large circular ears on both sides and a long piece of cloth covered in beads that ran down body representing trunk
- holes cut into mask for persons eyes and mouth
- covered in beads and decorations in different colors: main piece is isosceles triangle, related to patterning of leopard
Reliquary Figure (byeri): Identifiers
Style: Fang People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Cameroon
Date: 1900 CE
Reliquary Figure (byeri): Function
- guard family reliquary boxes
- consulted when considering an important decision
- used to teach ancestral history to young men of society
- express spiritual ideas
Reliquary Figure (byeri): Content
- head symbolic of infant
- body = adult
- enlarged head indicating intelligence
- bulging bellybutton- link to ancestors
- bulging muscles contrast with a contemplative/serene face + symmetrical pose
- popular hairstyle
- elongated torso, downcast eyes, closed mouth
- powerful musculature
- wooden carved figure
Reliquary Figure (byeri): Context
- admired qualities of Fang people
- guard boxes contents from forbidden gaze of people
- contained bones of important members of society
- not in cemeteries- nomadic culture
- abstraction
- guardian figure not realistic
- honor/respect by closed eyes and patient expression/ strength to ward off spirits/humans
Veranda Post of enthroned king and senior wife (Opo Ogoga): Identifiers
Style: Yoruba People
Artist: Olowe of Ise
Location: Nigeria
Date: 1910 CE
Veranda Post of enthroned king and senior wife (Opo Ogoga): Form + Function
Form: * 1 of 5 carved wooden posts
* painted
* hand carved
* hardwood timber
* 5 ft. high
Function: veranda post, architectural, structural support for palace at Ikere
Veranda Post of enthroned king and senior wife (Opo Ogoga): Content
- depicts king seated (focal figure)
- senior wife behind, crowning him, large scale and pose underscore her importance: participating in coronation and political advisor to king
- small figures at feet of king represent a female kneeling, court messenger, Osun the river god
Veranda Post of enthroned king and senior wife (Opo Ogoga): Context
- influential style in Yoruba culture for centuries
- Olowe considered by many the best Yoruba carver ever, died in 1938
- most important of the 4 veranda posts commissioned, focal point of entry
