African Art & Arch

Conical tower and circular wall of Great Zimbabwe

D: c.1000-1400 CE.

P/S: Great Zimbabwe

A: Shona People M/T: Coursed Granite Blocks F: was an important trading center C: walls as high as 36 feet and extending approximately 820 feet, making it the largest ancient structure south of the Sahara Desert.

Southeastern Zimbabwe.

Great Mosque of Djenne

D: 1200 CE; rebuilt 1906-1907

P/S: Sudano-Sahelian architecture

A: Sudano-Sahelian M/T: Adobe F: C: largest mud brick building in the world and is considered by many architects to be the greatest achievement of the Sudano-Sahelian architectural style with Islamic influences.

Mali.

Wall plaque, from Oba’s palace

D: 16th century

P/S: Benin

A: Edo People M/T: Cast Brass F: Depicts the responsibility of the people to assist their ruler. Plaques show aspects of the Benin court life after Europes direct contact with West Africa C: King (Oba) was believed to be a direct descendant of Oranmiyan, the legendary founder of the dynasty. This plaque shows an Oba surrounded by his attendants, two of whom are depicted holding up their shields in a formal protective stance. Only the Oba was allowed to be shaded in this way within the city.

Benin (Nigeria).

Sika dwa kofi (Golden Stool)

D: 1700 CE

P/S: Ghana

A: Ashanti peoples M/T: Gold over wood and cast-gold attachments F: used in royal rituals and has important cultural significance C: NO one can sit on the still not even the king, he can touch but it can never touch the ground.

south central Ghana

Ndop (portrait figure) of king  Mishe miShyaang maMbul.

D: 1760-1780

P/S: Demo Republic of Congo

A: Kuba people M/T: Wood F: idealized portraits of individual Kuba rulers. It was made after the death of the king. Ndop figures were believed to represent and honor the spirit of the nyim and serve as a point of contact with his spirit. C: This ndop, the oldest in existence, displays the king’s symbol, a drum with a severed hand. ALL Ndop figures: Crossed-legged, Sits on a base, Face is uninvolved (above the fray), “Peace knife” in left hand

(Democratic Republic of the Congo)

Ikenga

D: 19^th to 20^th century

P/S: Nigerian

A: Igbo peoples M/T: Wood F: It symbolizes the strength of the right arm (which symbolizes hard work), success in farming, having many children, or success in war. C: Ikenga figures can be identified with cylindrical-like bodies and two long horns.

Nigeria

Reliquary figure (nlo bieri)

D: 19th to 20th century

P/S: Fang

A: Fang People M/T: Wood F: In ritual practices, guardian figures to ensure continuity between the living and the dead. C: Figurative sculptures were placed on top of bark boxes containing the bones of revered individuals, such as male founders of villages and women who have borne many children.

southern Cameroon

Power figure (Nkisi n’kondi)

D: 19th century

P/S: Kongo

A: Kongo People M/T: Wood and Metal F: Voodoo-like dolls for containing spiritual forces. They are believed to have the power to uncover sources of affliction, to heal, to protect, and even to punish C: a ritual specialist, called a nganga (Shaman), to activate the figure. The nganga fills special cavities in the sculpture, generally in the head and stomach region, with materials such as ash, soil, herbs, and animal parts that are attributed medicinal and magical properties.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Portrait mask (Mblo)

D: Late 19^th to early 20^th century CE

P/S: Baule

A: Baule peoples M/T: Wood and pigment F: Portrait Masks or Mblo, said to portray an honored person of the village who is celebrated within ceremonial dances. C: These masks are danced to entertain during days that the Baule do not work and they will also appear to honor important visitors to the village.

Côte d’Ivoire

Female (Pwo) mask

D: Late 19^th to early 20^th century CE

P/S: Chokwe

A: Chokwe people M/T: Wood, fiber, pigment, and metal F: mask depicts a pretty young woman adorned with tattoos, earrings and an elaborate coiffure WORN BY MEN. Honors material ancestry. C: Under the eyes are tattoos known as masoji, signifying tears. Pwo or mwana pwo is one the most popular dancing masks among the Chokwe. Because they follow matrilineal descent, t

Republic of the Congo

Bundu mask

D: 19^th to early 20^th century

P/S: Sande Society

A: Mede peoples M/T: Wood, cloth, and fiber F: This mask represents the spirit of fertility and is considered the incarnation of the female waters. Used in ceremonies and dances, most masks are worn by men but this is an exception C: used by the sande female society on special occasions: solemn anniversaries, during funeral ceremonies, and in the initiation that makes it possible to become a sande. the masks are worn by women who have a certain standing within the society, to receive the younger women at the end of their three month's reclusion in the forest.

West African forests of Sierra Leone and Liberia

Lukasa (memory board)

D: 19^th to 20^th century

P/S: Mbudye Society

A: Luba Peoples M/T: Wood, beads, and metal F: Lukasa serves as an archive for the topographical and chronological mapping of political histories and other data sets. C: colors and configurations of beads or ideograms serve important people, places, things, relationships, and events as court historians narrate the origins of Luba authority.

(Republic of Congo)

Aka elephant mask

D: 19^th to 20^th century

P/S: Bamileke

A: Bamileke M/T: Wood, woven raffia, cloth, and beads F: Signifies kingship and wealth; were worn by the powerful members of the Kuosi regulatory society, which included members of royalty, wealthy title holders, and ranking warriors of the Bandjoun kingdom of western Cameroon C: masks are often worn with robes of dark woven fiber covered with small fiber knobs or indigo and white tie-dyed "royal" cloth.

Veranda post: equestrian figure and female caryatid

D: before 1938

P/S: Yoruba

A: Yoruba people M/T: Wood and Pigment F: C: The female figure behind the king represents his senior wife. Her large scale and pose, with her hands on the king's throne, undervalues her importance.

D:

P/S:

A: M/T: F: C: