African Art & Global Trade and Islamic Art

A set of flashcards covering themes, techniques, and highlights from African and Islamic art, including significant works and historical contexts.

Trade across the Sahara Desert

Connection between Europe, mainly the Portuguese, and Africa via the Niger & Kongo Rivers.

Lost wax technique

Artistic method used in Benin for crafting sculptures and ornaments.

Sapi-Portuguese salt cellar

A lidded shallow bowl made from ivory extravagant for exporting salt, dated c. 1470-1550.

Syncretism

The combination of Indigenous style with a European form in art.

Iconography of power

Repeated use of animals to symbolize authority and control in artwork.

Toni Malau

The Kongo identity of St. Anthony, significant to both the Portuguese and Kongo people.

Queen Idia

A famous queen mother of Benin known for her strategic alliances with the Portuguese.

Mudfish symbolism

Represented resilience and the ability to traverse both water and land in artwork.

Benin plaques

Copper alloy plaques demonstrating power dynamics and ancestral heritage in Benin culture.

Jaquhar

A contemporary Islamic motif often merged with architecture and textiles.

Ottoman Empire

A vast empire noted for its multicultural art and architecture, lasting from the 13th to 19th centuries.

Calligraphy in Islamic art

The integration of literature and text within visual art, especially within manuscripts.

Courtyard architecture

Used in mosques to support communal activities and prayer time.

Jahangir's portrait

Representation of the Mughal ruler in an intricate narrative depicting his power.

Rococo art

Art movement focused on leisure, pleasure, and often characterized by its dreamy quality.

Neoclassicism

Art and architecture style emphasizing order, symmetry, and restraint influenced by classical antiquity.

Realism

Art movement focusing on everyday subjects and capturing the true essence of human experiences.

Daguerreotype

The first practical photographic process that allowed for a fixed image on a silvered surface.

The Enlightenment

Intellectual movement that emphasized reason, scientific inquiry, and individual change.

Romanticism

Art movement emphasizing emotion, individualism, and the sublime, reacting against rationalism.