Africa

Male and Female figures

Baule, Cote d'ivore,19th-20th century, wood, beads and kaolin. In contrast to the previous couple, this two figures are composed by a more naturalistic aspect of human anatomy, but the sculptor enlarged the necks, calves, and heads, a orm of idealization to baule's culture.

Altar to the hand and arm (ikegobo)

Benin, Nigeria, 17th-18th century, bronze. Cast bronze royal shrine, the Benin king appears twice and it is larger than all other figures. The proportions of the king (the "great head") are distorted to emphasize his head, the seat of his will and power.

Royal ancestral shrine

Benin, Nigeria, 1970, clay, copper alloy, wood and ivory. This shrine to the heads of royal ancestors is an assemblage of varied materials, objects, and symbols. By means of animal sacrifices at this site, the Benin kings annually invokes the collective strength of his ancestors.

Ivory belt mask

Benin, Nigeria, mid 16th-century, Ivory and Iron The mask probably represents Idia, mother of Oba Esigie, who with portuguese aid, expanded the Benin Kingdom. Above Idia's head are portuguese heads and mudfish, symbols respectively of trade and of Olokum (god of sea).

Kuba King Kot a-mbweeky III

Democratic republic of congo, 1970 A variety of materials are used for for his clothing such as, eagle feathers, leopard skin, cowry shells, imported beads, raffia, and other materials combine to make the kuba king larger than life, and an artwork himself. He is a collage of wealth, dignity, and millitary might.

Seated couple

Dogon, Mali, 1800-1850, wood. This stylized Dogon carving of a linked man and a woman documents gender roles in traditional African society. The protective man wears a quiver on his back; the nurturing woman carries a child on hers.

King

Ife, Nigeria 11th-12th century, Zinc Brass. It has a naturalistically modeled torso, facial feautures that approach portraiture, and a precisely detailed costume. It was most likelly used in a ritual of sacred kingsship.

Equestrian figure

Igbo-Ukwu, Nigeria, 9th-10th century, copper-alloy bronze. The earliest known african lost-wax cast bronze is an object that leaders used to extend their reach and magnify gestures. The facial stripes on the horseman's face are probably marks of titled status.

Nail Figure

Kongo, 1875-1900, wood, nails, blades, medicinal materials and cowrie shell. Only the priests using ritual formulas could consecrate congo power figures like this one, which embody spirit that can heal or inflict harm. The anatomical forms are simplifies and the head is magnifies in size.

Female mask

Mende, Sierra Leone, 20th century, wood and pigments. This mende mask refers to ideals of female beauty, mortality, and behavior. The large forehead signifies wisdom; the neck ridges beauty, health and prosperity; the plaited hair, the order found in ideal households.

Samburu men and women dancing

Northern kenya, photograph 1973. Men and women in many rural areas of Africa embellish themselves with elaborate hairstyles, painted bodies, and beaded jewelry. Much of this personal decoration is coded to reveal age, marital status, and parentage.

Veranda

Olowe of Ise, Yoruba (Nigeria), 1900-1938, wood and pigment. It was carved at a time when Europeans had already become a colonial presence among Yoruba people. Olowe subtly records this presence in the billed cap of one of the men supporting the equestrian warrior.

Linguist's staff

Osel Bonsu, Asante (Ghana), mid-20th-century, wood and gold leaf. Osei Bonsu carved this gold-covered wooden linguist's staff for someone who could speak for the Asante king. At the top are two man sitting at a table of food. Food = metaphor for the office of the king.

Nok head

Rafin Kura, Nigeria, 500 BCE, Terracotta. The earliest African sculpture in the round comes from the central sudan. The Nok culture produced expressive terracotta heads with large eyes, mouth and ears. Piercing equalized the heat during the firing process.

Masquerader

Senufo, Cote d'Ivore, 1986 Senufo masks are composite creatures incarnating both ancestors and bush powers. At funerals, the final rite of passage, masked dancers attend the corpse and help expel the deceased from the village.