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14 Cards in this Set
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#167 Conical tower and Circular Wall of Great Zimbabwe Southeastern Zimbabwe, South Africa Shona Peoples 1000 - 1400 C.E. _____________________ Content: The tower and walls shown here are creations of an ancient city and both made from cut stone. _______________________________ Style: These structures were built using the dry construction technique, with no mortar between the stones. Both the walls and the tower were most luckily built with their size and stability to provide protection for the city of Great Zimbabwe. |
Context: Today, Great Zimbabwe is a ruined city in the surrounding hills of modern day Zimbabwe. Before its abandonment, the ancient city was the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe during the country's "Iron Age". As the capital, the city was home to the kingdom's monarch. It is thought that the city had special areas of residence for the ruler, his family, and the nobles, as well as open courts for ceremonial assemblies. Being the center of authority and commerce, Great Zimbabwe had trading connections that extended all the way to China and had access to Chinese pottery, coins from Arabia, and other non-native items of value. |
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#168 Great Mosque of Djenne (Monday Market at the Great Mosque of Djenne) Mali founded: 1200 C.E. rebuilt: 1906 - 1907 _____________________ Content: This is a muslim mosque created from mud-dried brick in the ancient city of Djenne. _______________________________ Style: The mosque, as tradition, faces towards Mecca. It includes a large courtier places in front a covered prayer hall. The facade of the structure is very unique, featuring adobe towers and vertical buttresses. The many rows of wooden beams not only accentuate the walls, but also provide platforms for workers when they need to repair the sacred clay on the exterior of the building (especially during annual festivals). |
Context: Geographically, the areas around the Niger River served as a kind of "fertile crescent" for African tribes, similar to that of Mesopotamia. The adobe walled town of Djenne eventually developed and was rebuilt in the and reconstructed after a fire destroyed most of the earlier buildings in 1830. Archaeologists have discovered evidence the city held the work of blacksmiths, sculptors, potters, and other skilled workers. |
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#169 Wall plaque, from Oba's Palace Edo peoples Benin, Nigeria 16 century C.E. _____________________ Content: A plaque made of brass, showing the Oba, surrounded by two attendants, holding up their shields to protect their king. _______________________________ Style: The most important aspect of this piece was its purpose in conveying the social heiarchy by using proportional scale. The Oba, obviously, is the larger and most important figure, while the attendants are shown smaller and at a lesser rank.
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Contextual Photograph - Oba of Benin, Nigeria _____________________ Context: In the Benin culture, the Oba was considered to own all land, collect all taxes, and have all authority. Both the size of the figures and the fact that the way the Oba was shielded is significance of reserve and power, all show how this society was politically run. |
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#170 Sika dwa kofi (Golden Stool) Ashanti peoples South, central Ghana 1700 C.E. _____________________ Content: A wooden carved throne of the Ashanti people, plated in gold. _______________________________ Style: The Golden Stool consists of a curved seat on a platform. The entire piece is inlayed with gold and hung with bells. Carved from a single block of wood from the Alstonia boonei (a tall forest tree that hold mystical significance.) |
Contextual Photograph - Sika dwa kofi _____________________ Context: The Golden Stool is the royal and divine symbol and throne of the king of this society. More than that, it is believed to house the spirits of the entire Ashanti nation - living, dead, and yet to be born. When African was colonized, there was much fighting over the true ownership of the stool. For a long time its location was kept secret, and once found by road workers and stripped of some of its gold ornaments in 1912. Later, the British gave a promise to respect the sanctity of the throne and it was brought back out of hiding. To preserve the original, replicas of the stool are made for chiefs in their ceremonies and funerals. Often these replicas would be carved with personalized symbols and blackened with animal blood, representing the power over generations. |
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#171 Ndop (portrait figure) of King Mishe mashing maMbul Kuba peoples Democratic Republic of the Congo 1760 - 1780 C.E. _____________________ Content: This is an Ndop style wooden sculpture, meant to be an individualized portrait of one of the Kuba rulers. _______________________________ Style: Like many traditional African sculptures, this one was carved from a singular piece of wood, resulting in its flat base, cylindrical shape, and elongated features. The figure here sits in a cross-legged position, typical for the Kuba Ndop sculptures. The expression of the figure is formal, aloof, and stoicism which was representative of the ruler's strength and wisdom. The shape of the face is organic and the musculature of the figure is naturalistic. The rest of the features are more stylized. |
Contextual Photograph - Ndop _____________________ Context: During the time of British colonization, settlers in Africa often found pieces and brought them back to the modern market. As a result, rare African pieces of art became collectables in the art world. Of course, the collectivity of an item depended on it's authenticity and rarity. In the Kuba culture, statues like this would be placed in a room facing forwards and usually had more emphasis on the frontal presentation of the piece. The Ndop sculptures were thought to hold the spirit of the ruler whose image it was carved in. As seen in the sculpture and the contextual photo, Kuba leaders often wore projecting headdresses as a traditional symbol of their status. |
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#172 Power Figure (Nkisi n'kondi) Kongo peoples Democratic Republic of the Congo late 19th century _____________________ Content: Standing at about 4ft tall, this Nkisi n'kondi style sculpture is made of wood, but also incorporates projecting, metal screws, nails, blades, corey shells, and other materials. Statures of this style are also referred to as "nail fetishes". _______________________________ Style: All the materials on this sculpture are stuck into the wood so that they stick out at random angles. The quantity of the projectiles giver the piece an intimidating look. |
Context: These power figures were meant for protective purposes in traditional Kongo villages. They were thought to house a hunter spirit that could leave its base at the sculpture and hunt down wrongdoers, enemies, and superstitious being like witches. The sculptures themselves were carved with an oath to protect the village. |
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#173 Portrait mask (Mblo) Baule peoples Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Late 19th to early 20th century C.E. _____________________ Content: This ceremonial mask is one of many that were meant to emulate important persons in the Baule society. _______________________________ Style: This mask is one that perfectly captures the core of the Baule style. The piece has highly stylized features: the shape of the face, eyes, and nose are all elongated and linear. Painted line is used to depict hair, the shapes of the eyes, and other decorative aspects on the face. The mask also has a number of prongs on top of the head, similar to the horns of an animal. |
Contextual Photograph - Mblo _____________________ Context: The Baule culture was a hunter culture, possibly explaining why the prongs (which represented significance and power) look like animals horns. The mask is actually part of the Mblo dance ceremony, which is attributed to the society's most significant members. The masks were understood to be an artistic commemoration of the people celebrated in the dance, and meant to be carved in their image. The stylization of the masks were considered to conform with what the society thought the most beautiful human features were. In style of this African culture went on to influence art in other countries. Tourism from Europe helped transfer these ideas. The Cubist movement, for example, had its roots in the influence of African masks like this one. Because of this, painters like Picasso also drew inspiration from African art forms. |
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#174 Female (Pwo) mask Chokwe peoples Democratic Republic of the Congo Late 19th to early 20th century C.E. _____________________ Content: A ceremonial female mask made from wood fiber brass, natural materials, and painted pigment. _______________________________ Style: This mask is very lifelike and extremely detailed. The smoothed surface and natural fibers allow for realistic looking skin and hair. There are even embellished earrings. The rest of the facial features are still stylized, with large, gold eyes and a small, elongated nose. The eyes are crossed with linear slits that provided sight for the wearer of the mask. There are also inscribed motifs on the mask's forehead, most notably the tear motif near the eyes. The designs were meant to enhance feminine beauty and define ethnic identity. |
Context: Pwo is the tribal name for a mask style genre that honors founding, female ancestors. The Chokwe was a strong a matriarchal society, with family decent traced through the mother's lines. The mask(s) would be utilized in ceremonies that both brought fertility and prosperity to the tribe, and also served as initiation for young men and they left their mothers. Although the tribute was primarily female, there was always a male counterpart to the ceremony. It was only together (male and female) that brought the blessings to the community. Because the ceremony was a tribal initiation of young men into adulthood, women wore the masks with carved tear motifs to represent the maternal sorrow and pride at their son's leaving. The creation of these masks and the ceremonies they were used in remain ancient traditions from the pre-colonial era. Most of the traditions are still perceived, to some extend, in modern day, the artistic traditions having been passed down through generations. The natural fibers and complexity of the masks allowed them to be placed on the front of the face in order to blend into the full costume and hide the wearing. |
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#175 Bundu mask Sade Society, Mende peoples West African forests of Sierra Leone and Liberia 19th to 20th century C.E. _____________________ Content: A wooden carved mask, with a facial representation, ringed with raffia. _______________________________ Style: The mask is carved with a distinctly abstract look (attributed to the divine), unlike the naturalistic human representations. Palm oil was used to polish the wood to create the glossy, dark complexion of the mask. The mask has clearly defined facial features, with a more geometric pattern encircling the forehead. The piece has an elongated head, a small face, and three rings of flesh around the head and the neck. The entire piece was carved with perfect symmetry. The raffia cascading from the mask blends the mask in with the rest of the costume and imitates the look of water. |
Contextual Photograph - Bundu mask _____________________ Context: The Bundu mask was part of a specific ceremony that had the role of initiating girls into adulthood. This mask, and its corresponding costume, was meant to be in the form of "Sowo", the water spirit of the Sande culture, the god that presided over the ceremony. The darkened black color of the mask represented the color of Sowo and the spiritual power of water. The polished surface of the mask, and it's shimmer and shine that would have been reflected in sun or firelight, would have made the piece seen sacred and divine. The full effect of the costume was also meant to convey a level of beauty in the society for women. The people in the ceremony, as seen in the contextual photo, are poised and stoic, with the raffia flowing graceful and water-like around them. The stylistic aspects of the ceremony intended to educate the young Mende women in terms of their expected physical and moral beauty. |
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#176 Ikenga (shrine figure) Igbo peoples Nigeria 19th to 20th century C.E. _____________________ Content: A cylindrical shrine figure (meant to be seen at every angle) carved from wood. _______________________________ Style: Cleary an abstract piece, the piece is mainly zoomorphic, with two prominent animals horns ascending from the top of the figure. |
Context: As a shrine figure of the Igbo, pieces like this were thought to house an individual's personal "chi" - in the form of their spirit, god, ancestors, or power. The figures and the power they held were though to be activated through prayer and sacrifice . There were often Inkenga figures for different purposes, and held by various men and women of importance, although this one is thought to be a warrior Ikenga, because of the fieriness and power held in the animalistic horns. The figure is also holding a knife with a curved blade. The warrior Ikengas were supposed to correspond to the time in the life of a man when their military capability is at its height. As a result, Ikengas like this one were usually held by younger men. |
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#177 Lukasa (memory board) Mbudye Society, Luba peoples Democratic Republic of the Congo 19th to 20th century C.E. _____________________ Content: This is a tablet, carved from wood, covered in multi colored (and sized) wooden beads, shell, and bits of metal. _______________________________ Style: The tablet is carved in an hourglass shape, with a "head" and a "tail" side. The board also has a row of carved mounds running horizontally across the center, splitting the board into two. The detailing of the beads and other materials are arranged in circular patterns meant to translate into specific stories, terms, or histories. |
Context: The Luba people, within the Mbudye society, held the bulk of their culture within oral tradition. The "Mbudye" within the society served as a representational board of respective men and women who were put in charge of preserving and governing the culture. They were largely the authoritative power of the society, providing a counterbalance to kings and chiefs. The Mbudye were the only group of people who knew had to interpret (and construct) the memory boards. The design and organization of the beads and other materials on the boards acted as a language, with the Mbudye acting as interpreters and pulling from the board's construction, the histories of the tribes that had been preserved by previous Mbudye. The histories in the boards had to do with political events, principals of the society, traditions, stories, and other historical happenings of the Luba people. When Europe colonized the Congo, there were fascinated and spread stories about the mysticism of the African tribes and their ability to communicate messages from a wooden board. |
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#178 Aka elephant mask Bamileke Cameroon, western grassfeilds region 19th to 20th century C.E. _____________________ Content: This is a metal wire constructed mask in an elephant representation, made of cloth and covered in extensive beadwork patterns. _______________________________ Style: The entire piece is zoomorphic in design. Most of the elephant mask's "trunk" is covered in a dominating triangle designs. The rest of piece has separate designs in the "ear" sections and an embroidered/beaded face for the wearing to see through. |
Context: In the region where these masks are created, there are large elephant populations. The animals became very symbolic within the ancient societies as symbols of prestige and power. The elephant masks were only used by chiefs and kings. Other tribes also began making elephant masks, but the Bamileke were one of the first to do so. The patterning of the masks were meant to communicate different ideas, along with the various colors. The white of the mask was made from cowry shells (which in themselves were symbolic of wealth and power), while the color white represented ancestors and medicine. The red represented life and women; the black, the relationship between the living and the dead. The triangular designs dominating most of the mask represented leopard spots, another symbol of power and mastery. |
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#179 Reliquary figure (byeri) Fang peoples Southern Cameroon 19th to 20th century C.E. _____________________ Content: A wooden carved figure of a human representation in a seated position. _______________________________ Style: This peice is is classified in the Byeri genre of sculpture and is cylindrical in form, having been carved form a log, and displays a full figure. The figure is highly stylized in the face, with the high brow and elongated nose. The figure is also naturalistic in its full body detail and position. |
Context: Like the christian reliquaries of the Romanesque period, this figure was though to hold the spiritual powers that were directly related to the ancestors. The sculptures and what they contained were though to provide protection to the Fang people, shielding them from the deceased while also providing the people with the ability to recruit their ancestors for aid in their everyday lives. |
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#180 Veranda Post: equestrian figure and female caryatid Yoruba peoples Olowe of Ise Before 1938 C.E. _____________________ Content: This piece (carved form wood and decorated with pigment) originally belonged in a series of architectural supports for an interior courtyard of the Yoruba palace. The characters are meant to be the king, his wife, a junior wife, the mischievous god Esu, and a fan bearer (which has been lost). _______________________________ Style: The intertwining of the figures in this piece and their hierarchal scale introduce both interesting artistic and social ideas. Since the senior wife figure is larger and more domineering and since the king is amid the other figures, it suggests that the king has to, in fact, depend on others in his rule. The piece also uses iconography and stylistic elements to communicate the significances of the figures and the roles they play. |
Context: The series of posts that included this one were commissioned by the king of Yoruba by the renewed sculptor, Olowe of Ise. Among the three posts made, this one remains the focal point. Olowe's skill of composition sets this sculpture apart from traditional work and is able to communicate the intimacy between the king and his senior queen, along with their relationships to the other figures. |