Royal patrons, artists, and power in the Kingdom of Benin.
The Art of Africa
The audience hall in the palace in Benin City communicated to visiting ambassadors, traders, courtiers, and subjects the power and wealth of the Oba, or king.
The Imagery of Power on Benin Bronze ...
The convention of elongating the figure can be seen in many of Olowe’s carvings, to visually highlight the importance of the head that holds the inner spiritual power, dignity and strength, and sacredness of one’s destiny.
Olowe of Ise, Veranda Post of Enthroned ...
The earliest known Ethiopian icons have been dated to the fifteenth century and typically portray the Virgin and Child, the Apostles, and Saint George.
An Ethiopian icon
Rock art is one of the best records of the life of past peoples who lived across the Sahara.
Rock Art in the Green Sahara (Africa)
A heroic effort to save and preserve Mali's long manuscript tradition.
Saving Timbuktu’s manuscripts
These reliquary figures helped a nomadic society to honor their loved ones after death.
Kota reliquary (mbulu ngulu)
How to impress your courtiers: a lesson from the Kingdom of Benin
Benin Plaques
Learn about the geography of West Africa!
About West Africa
This mask depicts the king’s mother, whose ruthless political prowess ensured that her son became king.
Benin ivory mask (Edo peoples)
These flags were made for military companies affiliated with the British along the coast of present-day Ghana.
Asafo Flags: Stitches Through Time
Are these little-understood figures representations of diseased people, or an attempt to ward off illness?
Lost History: the terracotta sculpture of Djenne ...
This cloth—first woven by a wise spider—sends social messages through a system of specific patterns.
Kente cloth
What do the moon landing and rock art have in common?
Origins of rock art in Africa
Ethiopia’s Christian heritage predates much of Europe’s, and includes churches hewn from living rock.
Christian Ethiopian art
Arts practices on the African continent have evolved both independently of and in response to European imperialism.
African art and the effects of European ...
Initially, Westerners saw African art as a mere “curiosity,” but this began to change with the advent of modernism.
The Reception of African Art in the ...
The high rate of twining among the Yoruba peoples gave birth to a genre of spiritual objects for mourning parents.
Ere Ibeji Figures (Yoruba peoples)
These figures were carved for Akan women unable to conceive—they’d ritually feed, carry, and care for them.
Akua’ba Female Figure (Akan peoples)
Learn about the geography of North Africa.