African Art

- Zimbabwe defrived from Shona term meaning "venerated houses" or "houses of stone"

- prosperous trading center and royal complex

- stone enclosure, probably a royal residence

- walls: 800 feet long, 32 feet tall, 17 feet thick at base

- conical tower modeled on traditional shapes of grain silos; control over food symbolized wealth, power, and royal largesse

- walls slope inward toward top, made of exfoliated granite blocks

- internal and external passageways tightly bounded, narrow, and long, forcing occupants to walk in single file, paralleling experiences in African bush

- tower resembles granary; represented good harvest and prosperity

Great Zimbabwe

- three tall towers, on in center is mihrab

- crowning ornaments have ostrich eggs: symbols of fertility and purty

- torons for permanent ladders for maintenance of building

- vertical fluting drains water off surfaces quickly

- largest mud-brick mosque in world

Great Mosque of Djenné

- 900 brass plaques produced; between 16 and 18 inches

- decorated walls of royal palace in Benin

- part of sprawling palace complex; wooden pillars covered w/ brass plaques

- shows aspects of court life in Benin culture

- Oba ("king") believed to be direct descendant of Oranmiyan, legendary founder of the dynasty

- only the Oba allowed to be shielded in way depicted on plaque

- hierarchical proportions

- symbols of high rank emphasized

- stepping on fallen leader

- emphasis on heads; bodies often small and immature

- lost wax process

- ceremonial scene at court

- high relief

Wall plaque from Oba's palace

- symbol of Ashanti nation; held in Ghana

- contains soul of nation

- never used as a stool; not allowed to touch ground

- new king raised over stool

- carried to king on a pillow; he alone is allowed to touch it

- taken out on special occasions

- entire surface inland w/ gold

- bells hang from side to warn king of danger

- replicas often used in ceremonies, but each is different

- War of the Golden Stool: March-September 1900; conflict over British sovereignty in Ghana (formerly Gold Coast); British representative tried to sit; caused uproar and subsequent rebellion; ended in British annexation and Ashanti de facto independence

Golden Stool (Skia dwa kofi)

- commemorative portraits of Kuba rulers, represented in ideal state

- representation of deceased king's spirit; made after death

- each king commemorated by symbols on base of figure; this king has sword in left hand in non-aggressive pose, handle facing out

- one of earliest existing African sculptures; oldest ndop in existence

- rubbed w/ oil to protect from insects

- surrogate for king in absence

- kept in king's shrine w/ other works called a set of "royal charms"

- royal regalia: bracelets, arm bands, belts, headdress

- characteristics: cross-legged pose, sits on base; face seems uninvolved and above mortal affairs; peace knife in left hand

Ndop (portrait figure)

- photo of Kuba ruler enthroned wearing royal regalia: headdress, necklace of leopard teeth, sword, lance, drums of reign, basket

- made in 1971 capturing royal event

- continuous tradition of honoring a Kuba king

- costuming extremely elaborate; could weight 185 pounds, needed help to move; represents splendor of court, greatness, and responsibilities

- symbolizes ruler's wealth, status, power

- Kuba taste of accumulation of objects

- often buried w/ material after death

Kuba Nyim (ruler) Kot a Mbweeky II in state dress with royal drum in Mushenge, Congo

- spirits embedded in images; can be called upon to bless or harm others, cause death, or give life

- to prod image into action, nails and blades often inserted into work or removed from it

- medical properties inserted into body cavity, thought to be a person's life/soul

- nails pounded into figure

- alert pose

Power figure (Nkisi n'kondi)

- presented at Mblo performances where individual honored by having ritual dances and tributes are performed in someone's honor

- honoree receives mask as gift that reflects artistic double

- commissioned by group of admirers, not by individual

- dancer who wears mask and wears clothes of honored person accompanied by actual person during performance

- idealized representation of real person; not portrait in modern sense of the term

- portraits of real people, even if commemorative, are rare in African art

- broad foreheads, pronounced eye socks, column-shaped nose

- quiet faces; introspective looks; peaceful face; deditative; eyebrows in an arch

Portrait mask (Mblo)

- female masks used by men in ritual dances; men covered w/ identities masked; dressed as women w/ braided hair

- ritual where men move like women

- Chokwe a matriarchal society

- depicts female ancestors

- discarded when not in use; can be buried w/ dancer

- characteristics: enlarged eye sockets; pushed-in chin; slender nose; high forehead; balanced features; almost-closed eyes

Female (Pwo) mask

- only African wooden masks worn by women

- idealized female beauty

- elaborate hairstyle symbolizes wealth; worn by men of status

- large forehead

- small eyes in shape of slits

- tight-lipped mouth symbolizing secrets not revealed

- Sande society: group of women who prepare girls for adulthood and their role in society

- costumed women war black gown made of raffia that hides the body

- costumed as a Sowei, water spirit; rings around neck symbolize concentric waves from which Sowi breaks through surface

- mask rests on head; head not placed inside

- coated w/ palm oil for lustrous effect

- black color symbolizes water, coolness, humanity

- individuality of each is stressed

Bundu mask

- "strong right arm" thus physical prowess

- honors right hand, which holds tools or weapons, makes sacrifices, conducts rituals, and alerts to speak at public forums

- traditional masculine associations of strength and potency

- carved from hardwoods considered masculine

- tells of owner's morality, prosperity, achievements, genealogy, social rank

- personal god of achievement and success

- requires blessings before use; consecrated w/ offerings before kinsmen

- enormous horns symbolize power

- as man achieves more success he might commission more elaborate version

- maintained in the man's home; destroyed when owner dies; another man can reuse it if not destroyed

Ikenga (shrine figure)

- helps user remember key elements in a store: court ceremonies, migrations, heroes, kinship, genealogy, lists of kings

- carved from wood in hourglass shape, then adorned w/ shells, beads, or metal

- reader holds in left hand and traces designs w/ right index finger

- back resembles tortoise

- reading example: one colored bead can stand for an individual; large beads surrounded y smaller beads ins king and court; lines of beads journeys/paths

- each board's design unique and represents divine revelations of a spirit medium expressed in sculptural form

- controlled by mbudye: council who interpret political/historical aspects of Luba society

- zoomorphic elements symbolize crocodile; dual nature metaphor for Luba's political organization w/ two interdependent leaders: kakungulu (head of mbudye) and kaloba ("owner of the land"; chief)

Memory Board (Lukasa)

- only important people in society can own and wear aka; used at a royal court

- elite Kuosi masking society owns and wears the masks; worn on important ceremonial occasions

- beadwork symbol of power

- symbolizes features of an elephant: long trunk, large ears ( symbolizes trunk and power)

- fits over head and two folds hang down in front and behind body

- human face

- maskers dance barefoot to a drum and gong; wave spears and horsetails

Aka elephant mask

- placed on top of cylinder-like containers made of bark that hold bones of important clan leaders

- feet dangling over rim in gesture of protecting contents against gaze of women or young boys

- composed of characteristics Fang people place high value on: tranquility, introspection, vitality

- surfaces ritually rubbed w/ oils to add luster and protect against insects

- prominent belly button and genitals emphasize life; prayerful gesture and somber look to emphasize death

- abstraction of human body an attraction for early 20th century artists

Reliquary figure (bieri)

- Olowe of Ise carved posts for rulers of Ekiti-Yoruba kingdom in Nigeria

- one of four carved for the palace at Ikere

- negative spaces create openness

- king focal point in relationship between his figures and others presented on this post

- behind: large-scale warrior wife supporting throne; crowns king during coronation; protects him during his reign

- small figures: junior wife; flute player is Esu, trickster god; a now-missing fan bearer

- most posts painted; traces of paint remain

Veranda post of enthroned king and senior wife (Opo Ogoga)