Early African ArtChapter 13

Historical Background

0Africa has more indiginous languages than any other location

0Plagued by war and fighting (Hutus in Rwanda)0Associates with a culture or ethnicity, not a country0Scramble for Africa0Phoenicians and Carthaginians0 “Bilal al-Sudan”

Key Terms

0Scarification0Lost-was casting0Battered walls0Zoomorphic

http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/hss/SSA_SHARED_MEDIA_1/art/MAL/videos/process_videos/WaxCast-large.html

Lost-Wax Casting

Crowned Head of a King

Ife, Yoruba,12th cent, Zinc Brass, 9 7/16”

• The city of Ife is also called the “navel of the world” because Yoruba belief states that the oni (king) oduduwa created Earth from Ife.

• This is cast with zinc brass using the lost wax casting method.

• The crown indicates that the head is of a king but the soft features noticeable around the nose and mouth imply that the head is actually female.

• Scarification can be seen in parallel lines running down the face

• A hole can be found in the neck. These holes are most likely used to attach a larger body

• Leo Frobenius believed that this artwork was from the lost city of Atlantis because of how naturalistic it was. (Europeans didn’t believe that African artwork could be so naturalistic)

• Some art historians argue that the head is an idealized image of beauty and not a portrait of a specific king

Dancers in Ceremonial Attire

Rock-wall painting, Tassili-n-Ajjer, Algeria, 5000 BCE

• Early African art started with Rock art.

• This rock painting shows the dancers wearing masks and decorative clothing that suggest they are involved in a ritual

• The horses in the second painting show introduction of other cultures because horses were not common in Africa

Head from Nok

Nok, 500 BCE-200 CE, Terra Cotta, 36 cm

• The Nok civilization is known for the first evidence of iron technology

• The earliest known sculptures of sub-Saharan Africa come from the Nok

• The head is larger than a real head and is part of a complete human sculpture

• A convention found in Nok art is D-shape of the eyes.

• The buns on the head have holes to hold decorations such as feathers

• Many Nok sculptures are also highly decorated with jewelry

Burial Chamber at Igbo-Ukwu

Recreation

• The Igbo-Ukwu civilization, known of their use of copper alloy, is located in Eastern Nigeria.

• The excavation at Igbo-Ukwu revealed a burial chamber containing an individual dressed in royal clothing sitting on a chair surrounded by expensive objects that symbolizes his power

• Ivory and imported beads are some of the expensive objects

• The fly whisk, staff, and fan held by the individual are symbols of his power

Nkisi NkondeDRC, 30”, Wood and Nails

• This is from the Bantu located in the Kongo basin

• Nkisi Nkondes are dolls used to communicate with the dead in the Kongo religion

• A convention of Nkisi Nkondes is the large amount of nails inserted into them

• Nkisi Nkondes are also used to represent power and are used in rituals

Hip Mask Representing an Iyoba (Queen Mother)

Benin, 1550 CE, Ivory, Iron, and copper, 9.25”

• This is an example of Benin art• An Iyoba is a queen mother• This mask is used as a belt ornament

worn by an oba• The two lines on the mask forehead

show scarification, a convention of early African art

• This particular mask is possible Idia, the mother of Esigie who was an oba

• Idia is known for raising an army and using magic to help her son defeat his enemies

• The Portuguese men that helped Esigie expand his kingdom are on the mask’s necklace