Art history 6 and 5

Culture: Bamileke Location: Cameroon, western grassfields region Date: c. 19th to 20th century C.E. Material: Wood, woven raffia, cloth, and beads. Within the Bamileke culture, masquerade is a controlled and dignified performance. Aka masks were used in performances serving to assert political power. The elite Kuosi masking society controls the right to make and wear elephant masks, which convey political power. Combined with costume, music, songs, food, audience interaction, and movement, the elephant mask was a mechanism for the Kuosi to assist the king in his role as preserver and enforcer of a rigid social and political hierarchy. Purpose:Masquerade to honor the king and bring social harmony to the tribe. Costume generally worn with a leopard skin cape. The elephant represented the king. The leopard symbolizes power.

Aka Elephant Mask

Culture: Inca Date: 1450-1540 Material: camelid fiber and cotton Artistic Technique: Backstrap Loom Purpose: Used by kings to show the dominance of the Incan empire Significance: Textiles were valued more highly than gold in the Inca Empire.

All-T'oqapu Tunic

Culture: Lenape (Delaware, Eastern Woodlands) tribe Date: 1850 C.E. Material: Beadwork on leather (wool and cotton trade cloth, wool yarn, glass, metal) Purpose: Bandolier Bags are based on bags carried by European soldiers armed with rifles, who used the bags to store ammunition cartridges. They were only worn by worthy men of the tribe. Historical Context: Native American tribes began to engage in beadwork after European contact. The each tribe created their own distinct style of decorative and beadwork. Artistic Characteristics: The designs on the bag are abstracted and symmetrical. The small size of seed beads allowed for more curvilinear designs

Bandolier Bag

Artists: Maria Martínez and Julian Martínez, Location: Tewa, Puebloan, San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico. Date:c. mid‐20th century C.E. Blackware ceramic. Martinez's art represents both preservation and innovation of an ancient Pueblo-Indian artistic tradition. Inspired by the black-on-black pottery found in ancestral Pueblo archeological sites, Maria and her husband Julian Martinez developed a firing technique which resulted in different black finishes which reveal stylized and abstracted designs adopted from ancient vessels of the Pueblos.

Black‐on‐black ceramic vessel

Culture: Sande Society, Mende peoples Location: West African forests of Sierra Leone and Liberia Date: 19th to 20th century C.E. Material: Wood, cloth, and fiber. This Mende mask refers to ideals of female beauty, morality, and behavior. The large forehead signifies wisdom, the neck design beauty and health, and the plaited hair the order of ideal households. Function: Worn on topo of the head, not over the face. The wearer is hidden by raffia that hung down from the mask. Only women wear this mask. Made to help young girls go through initiation.

Bundu (Sande) Mask

Date: 900 BCE- 200 BCE Location: Andes Mountains, Peru Culture: Andean Culture, Pre-Incan Material: Stone Function: Religious capital Content: An archeological site with a temple ruin and a series of underground tunnels over a mile long with a statue to Lanzon in the inner most room More info: The temple was constructed for the god, Lanzón, which means "great spear" in Spanish. A 15 foot tall stone statue of the god is located in the Old Temple. Pre-Columbian interpretation: The shape resembles a digging stick used in traditional highland agriculture and may represent the gods association with an abundant harvest. Nose ornament: function was a status symbol in pre-columbian civilizations

Chavín de Huántar

Location: Andes Mountains, Peru Elevation: 11,000 feet (3,400m) about 2 miles. Native language: Quechua Culture: Inca Significance: Capital of Inca empire before the Spanish conquest Axis Mundi of the Incan empire.

City of Cuzco

Location: Southeastern Zimbabwe Culture: Shona people Date: c. 1000-1400 C.E. Material: Course granite blocks Historical Content: The Great Zimbabwe Empire in southern Africa had a trade network that extended to Mesopotamia and China. At its peak 18,000 people lived here. Content: Stone walls up to 32 feet high and conical towers enclosed the royal residence. Purpose: Residence of the king -Grain bins were symbols of royal power and generosity.

Conical Tower and Circular Wall of Great Zimbabwe

Culture: Aztec Date: 1428-1520 Materials: quetzal tail feathers and gold Possibly the headdress of Monteczuma. Replica in Mexico City. Original sent back to Spain by Cortez when he conquered the Aztecs. Significance: This ceremonial headdress declared the power and authority, and possibly divinity, of the ruler and his connection to the Aztec god of the air, Quetzal, the symbol of rebirth and freedom.

Feather Headdress of Ruler

Culture: Chokwe peoples Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo Date: Late 19th to early 20th century C.E. Material: Wood, fiber, pigment, and metal. Cultural context: matrilineal society Function: This mask is meant to represent the female ancestor of the Chokwe people. The mask embodies ideal feminine beauty and displays traditional Chokwe facial scars. The Pwo mask is worn in ceremonial dance that is often performed as part of initiation rituals of adulthood. The mask is worn by a man disguised as a woman with a bodysuit, false breasts, and a cotton skirt.

Female (Pwo) mask

Location: Ohio, USA Date: 1070 CE Culture: Fort Ancient, a Native American culture of the Mississippian people Artistic Technique: Earthwork, Effigy mound Content: Coiled tail, open mouth Purpose: Possibilities include -a way to mark time, -document a celestial event, -act as a compass -serve as a guide to astrological patterns -provide a place of worship to a supernatural snake god or goddess

Great Serpent Mound

Culture: Ibgo (Ibo) peoples Location: Nigeria Date: c. 19th to 20th century C.E. Wood. Content: Carved wooden figures of human face with animal attributes. Context: This ritual object of the Igbo culture requires elaborate consecration rituals and is honored with ritual offering before important events in the life of its male owner. Personal statue often located in a shrine in a home. -Ikenga is a symbol of power and authority in Igbo culture and believed to serve as a link between the dead and the living, and to one's chi (guardian spirit). -Not a portrait. A symbolic representation of the power, authority, and accomplishment of the owner.

Ikenga (Shrine figure)

Culture: Mbudye Society, Luba peoples Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo Date: c. 19th to 20th century C.E. Material: Wood, beads, and metal. Function: Memory boards are hand held objects that illustrate critical aspects of Luba culture, history and political system, and serve as a library of geographic and chronological information. They are entrusted to members of the Mbudye association, who are responsible for preserving and teaching the history contained within the Lukasa to younger generations. Content: The memory boards are encoded with an intricate system of engravings and beadings; different configurations and bead colors convey specific information about historical events and leaders.

Lukasa (memory board)

ranslation: Old Peak Location: Andean Mountains, Peru Date: 1450-1540 Culture: Inca Material: Granite Patron: Pachacuti Inka Yupanqui Pronounced: Pah-chuh-koo-tee Purpose: royal estate or sacred religious site for Inca leaders 1911 Hiram Bingham Intihuatana Stone: The Intihuatana ("hitching post of the sun") is a carved boulder located in the ritual area of the site. Carved boulders were a part of the Inka relationship with the earth, and expressions of belief in a landscape inhabited by supernatural forces. The stone's name refers to the idea that it was used to track the passage of the sun throughout the year.

Machu Picchu

Culture: Inca Date: 1440-1533 C.E. Material: Sheet metal/repousse metal alloys. The Incans were prolific metal workers, who created advanced casted and hammered objects for their age. Found: Maize cobs may have been part of the Qorikancha shrine in Cuzco, which held an entire garden containing life-sized, gold maize stalks. Significance: The maize plant held significant cultural value for the Incans, as a staple crop that enabled the Incan civilization to prosper. These golden plants were only on display during planting or harvesting festivals as objects of veneration or possibly as offerings.

Maize Cobs

Date: 450-1300 CE Material: Sandstone Location: Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, USA Culture: Anasazi Purpose: Residential

Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings

Culture: Kuba peoples Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo Date: c. 1760-1780 C.E. Material: Wood Patron: King Mishe miShyaang maMbul. King Mishe was the leader of the Kuba people, a kingdom of various ethnic groups in the Congo. Purpose: This idealized portrait statue (ndop) was intended to record King Mishe's reign for posterity and to solidify his accomplishments. -The ndop (literally meaning "statue") are a genre of figurative wood sculpture that portrays important Kuba leaders throughout the eighteenth to twentieth centuries. -King Mishe was known for his generosity and for the great number of his loyal subjects. He was even the recipient of his own praise song.

Ndop of King Mish

Attributed to Cotsiogo (Cadzi Cody), Location: Eastern Shoshone, Wind River Reservation, Wyoming. Date: 1890-1900 C.E. Animal hide painting is a longstanding tradition among Great Basin and Great Plains Native American peoples. This type of painting functioned as a recorded history, which complemented the tribes' oral histories. Artists used both natural pigments and dyes obtained through trade to create a painting that celebrated battles, depicted biographical details, and affirmed national and cultural identity. Works such as these were likely created for Euro-American tourists, as subject matter such as buffalo hunting were popular among tourists. Religious and non-religious dances and ceremonies, many of which were already extinct as well as activities of daily life both past and current were pictured in this work.

Pained elk hide

Artist: Owie Kimou Culture: Baule peoples Location: Cote d'Ivoire Date: Early 20th century C.E. Material: Wood and pigment. Content: The portrait mask, or ndoma, (meaning "double" or "namesake") was considered to be a true double of its subject, despite significant stylization. Although these portraits are not realistic copies of the subject's likeness, ndoma combines specific characteristics such as hairstyle with idealized facial features, in an attempt to represent ideal beauty. The small, downcast eyes and only slightly open mouth conveys respect and composure, qualities of reserve that are highly esteemed by the Baule. Ndoma were used in entertainment masquerades, or mblo, which included performances by musicians playing iron gongs and drums which engaged audience and honored members of the community or relieved grief and stress following funerals.

Portrait Mask (Mblo) of Moya Yanso

Culture: Kongo peoples Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo Date: late 19th century C.E. Material: Wood and metal. Purpose: Figures such as these were created by nganga, the spiritual leader of the tribe, for rituals connected to ancestor worship and communication with the spirit world.

Power Figure (Nkisi n'kondi).

Culture: Fang peoples Location: Southern Cameroon Date: c. 19th to 20th century C.E. Material: Wood. Cultural Context: The Bantu peoples believed in the spiritual potency of ancestral relics. Bieri figures (ancestral spirits) represented the qualities most admired by the Fang - tranquility, vitality, and ability to balance opposites Characteristics: Stylized, geometric figures. Virtues are represented in the figure through the balancing of opposites: the large head is superimposed on the developed body of an adult; the motionless, symmetrical pose Calm, stoic face are countered by the restrained tension of the figure's bulging muscles. Function: It is likely that these figures also functioned as puppets in initiation rituals, during which young males were presented to their ancestors.

Reliquary figure

Culture: Ashanti peoples (Also spelled Asante) Location: Ghana Date: 1700 CE Material: Gold over wood and cast‐gold attachments. In context- The Golden Stool is accompanied by its own entourage, umbrella, and drums. No one is allowed to sit on the stool, not even the King. Significance: According to local legend, Okomfo Anokye, the high priest and founder of the Asante Confederacy, delivered the stool, which fell from the sky to the first King of Asante. The stool represents Asante national unity, and is said to embody the soul of the Asante nation. Defeated enemies of the Asante are represented on the lower section of the stool. Function: The Golden Stool is the most significant of all royal treasures for the Ashanti people and is a strictly ceremonial object.

Sika dwa kofi (Golden Stool).

Location: Tenochtitlan (Modern Day Mexico City) Date: 1375-1520 CE Culture: Aztec Material: Stone Tenochtitlan was established in 1325 on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco. The capital was divided into four main quadrants, with the Templo Mayor at the center. This design reflects the Aztec cosmos, which was believed to be composed of four parts structured around the navel of the universe, or the axis mundi. Destroyed in the Spanish Conquest of 1521 Temple Mayor (Main Temple): Coyolxauhqui monolith Pronounced: Coy-ol-shau-key Date: 1500 Material: Volcanic Stone Found: Great Temple of Tenochtitlán, Mexico City, Mexico Culture: Aztec Diameter: About 11 feet Content: Decapitated, dismembered, naked goddess The name Coyolxauhqui means "painted with bells", since she is commonly depicted with bells on her cheeks. Temple Mayor (Main Temple): Calendar Stone/ Sun Stone Date: 1500 Culture: Aztec Material: Basalt Purpose: Shows the history of the world.

Temple Mayor (Main Temple)

Country: Nigeria Culture: Yoruba peoples Date: c. 1910-1914 C.E. Material: Wood and pigment. Context:Originally a structural post for a palace porch. All aspects of architecture and design were this intricate in the Nigerian palace. This veranda post and power figure would face visitors as they entered the inner palace courtyard. A bird rests on top of the crown, symbolizing female ancestors and deities, referred to collectively as "our mothers" who watch over the king.

Veranda post of enthroned king and senior wife

Location: Djenne, Mali, West Africa- on a trade route between the West African empires and the Mediterranean. Date: Founded 1200 CE, rebuilt 1906-1907 Material: Adobe Function: Mosque Senior Superlative: Largest mud built structure in the world Patron: King Koi Konboro—Djenné's twenty-sixth ruler and its first Muslim sultan—decided to use local materials and traditional design techniques to build a place of worship in town. Materials: In the Sahel—the transitional zone between the Sahara and the humid savannas to the south—adobe and mud buildings require periodic. Otherwise, the structures disintegrate during the rainy season. Signifiicance: The Great Mosque at Djenne resembles Middle Eastern mosques in plan (large courtyard in front of a roofed prayer hall), but the construction materials—adobe and wood—are distinctly African. -The façade of the Great Mosque includes three minarets and a series of engaged columns that together create a rhythmic effect -The roof has several holes covered by terra-cotta lids, which provide its interior spaces with fresh air even during the hottest days. -At the top of the pillars are cylindrical with an ostrich eggs placed at the very top—symbol of fertility and purity in the Malian region. -Timber beams throughout the exterior are both decorative and structural. These elements also function as scaffolding for the re-plastering of the mosque during the annual festival of the Crepissage.

The Great Mosque of Djenne

Location: Benin, Nigeria Culture: Edo People Date: 1550-1680 Material: Cast brass Current location: Metropolitan Museum of Art Content: A Benin king, an oba, sits on a horse at the center wearing a coral necklace, bracelets, and anklets- which show his power. Two attendants hold shields over his head. Characteristics: Hierarchical scale

Wall Plaque from Oba's Palace

Culture: Kwakwaka'wakw (pronounced Kwak-wak-ah-wak) Location: Northwest coast of Canada. Date: Late 19th century C.E. Material: Wood, feathers, paint, and string. Current Location: American Museum of Natural History, New York. Context: The wearer of this Kwakwaka'wakw mask could open and close it rapidly by manipulating hidden strings, magically transforming himself from human to eagle and back again as he danced. The masks conveyed social position (only those with a certain status could wear them) and also helped to portray a family's genealogy by displaying (family) crest symbols.

Transformation Mask

Date: 725 CE Material: Limestone Location: Chiapas, Mexico Many of the exteriors had elaborate decorations, but it is the carved stone lintels above their doorways which have made this site famous.

Yaxchilan