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Chapter 19Africa Before 1800

Africa Pre-1800

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Africa Before 1800

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Goals

• Understand the early history of African peoples and their shared core of beliefs and cultural practices.

• Examine the styles and subject matter of early African rock art and other media used to create art. 

• Explore the art of different regions of early through medieval Africa and study their stylistic qualities

• Examine the architecture of African civilizations. • Evaluate the influence of other world cultures on

African art and architecture.

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19.1 Early African Art

• Discuss stylistic traits of regional African styles.

• Examine the styles and subject matter of early African rock art and other media used to create art. 

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Prehistoric and Early Cultures

• Examine the styles and subject matter of early African rock art.

• Describe stylized features of early sculpture in the round

• Explore issues that cause difficulty in pinpointing the creators and interpreting the meaning(s) of early African art

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Figure 19-2 Running horned woman, rock painting, from Tassili n’Ajjer, Algeria, ca. 6000–4000 BCE.

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Art from Nok and Lydenburg (500 BCE – 200 CE)

• Recall these locations as the discovery sites of some of the earliest known sculpture-in-the round in Africa

• Describe stylized features of these sculptures• Name popular materials used in these works• Examine problems in ascertaining the

purpose/meaning behind art of this period

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Figure 19-3 Nok head, from Rafin Kura, Nigeria, ca. 500 BCE–200 CE. Terracotta, 1’ 2 3/16” high. National Museum, Lagos.

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Figure 19-4 Head, from Lydenburg, South Africa, ca. 500 ce. Terracotta, 121 5/16”high. South African Museum, Iziko Museums of Cape Town, Cape Town.

Use of Metal-Casting in African Art

• Advanced works of art were cast in bronze and other metals in West Africa by 9th and 10th centuries CE.

• Recall some of the various objects discovered in burial sites at Igbo Ukwu.

• Consider how some of the art cast in metal reflect social hierarchy in terms of durability and appearance

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Figure 19-5 Equestrian figure on fly-whisk hilt, from Igbo-Ukwu, Nigeria, 9th to 10th century. Copper-alloy bronze, figure 6 3/16” high. National Museum, Lagos.

19-4A Roped water pot on a stand, from Igbo-Ukwu, Nigeria, 9th to 10th century. Leaded bronze, 1’ 11/16” high. National Museum, Lagos.

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African Art 11th to 18th Centuries

• Examine the styles and subject matter of later African art and media used, especially bronze and ivory. 

• Explore the artistic differences between the Sudan and Lower Nigeria.

• Recall specific cultures and their artistic contributions such as Ife, Djenne, and Lalibela

• Discuss stylistic traits of regional African styles, especially the idealized naturalism of Ile-Ife..

• Witness the blend of different cultures in Africa with the introduction of Islam and Christianity

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Figure 19-6 King, from Ita Yemoo (Ife), Nigeria, 11th to 12th century. Zinc-brass, 1’61/2”high.Museum of Ife Antiquities, Ife.

• Observe the idealized naturalism

• Notice that disproportionately large head – Ife seat of wisdom

19-6A Head of an Ife king, from the Wunmonije Compound, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, 12th to 13th century. Zinc brass, 1’ 1/4" high. Museum of Ife Antiquities, Ife.

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19-7 Seated man, from Tada, Nigeria, 13th to 14th century. Copper, 1’ 9 1/8” high. National Museum, Lagos.

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Figure 19-8 Archer, from Djenne, Mali, 13th to 15th century. Terracotta, 2’ 3/8” high. National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C.

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Figure 19-9 Aerial view of the Great Mosque, Djenne, Mali, Begun 13th century, rebuilt 1906-1907.

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Lalibela (Christian Ethiopia)

• Evaluate the influence of Christianity in the art and architecture of Africa.

• Examine the art and architecture of Lalibela (Christian Ethiopia).

Figure 19-10 Beta Giorghis (Church of Saint George), Lalibela, Ethiopia, 13th century. 20

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Great Zimbabwe (12th to 15th centuries)

• Examine the architecture of Zimbabwe.• Realize the significance of Great Zimbabwe as

a crossroads of world wide trade and consider how this influenced its art and architecture

• Study the imagery and contemplate the meaning of Great Zimbabwe’s monolithic sculpture

Figure 19-11 Walls and tower, Great Enclosure, Great Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe, 14th century.

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Figure 19-12 Monolith with bird and crocodile, from Great Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe, 15th century. Soapstone, bird image 1’21/2”high. Great Zimbabwe Site Museum, Great Zimbabwe.

Benin Kingdom (13th to 16th centuries)

• Know the skill of Benin sculptors in working with various materials including metals, ceramics, ivory, and wood

• Study the imagery of Benin art to understand the kingdom’s religious iconography, political hierarchy, as well as the influence of contacts with European expeditions

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Figure 19-13 Waist pendant of a Queen Mother, from Benin, Nigeria, ca.1520. Ivory and iron, 9 3/8”high. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1972).

19-13A Head of a Queen Mother, from Benin, Nigeria, ca. 1520–1550. Bronze, 1’ 3 1/3” high. British Museum, London.

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Figure 19-1 Altar to the Hand and Arm (ikegobo), from Benin, Nigeria, 17th to 18th century. Bronze, 1’ 512”high. British Museum, London.

Sapi People (15th to 16th centuries)

• Evaluate the impact of their contacts with Europeans on their art

• After examining Sapi sculpture, consider reasons for its imagery

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Figure 19-14 MASTER OF THE SYMBOLIC EXECUTION, saltcellar, Sapi-Portuguese, from Sierra Leone, 15th to 16th century. Ivory, 1’ 4 7/8” high. Museo Nazionale Preistorico e Etnografico Luigi Pigorini, Rome.

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Discussion Questions

What were some of the significant early to medieval African civilizations? Give examples of and describe their works of art.

Discuss the importance of the discovery of Great Zimbabwe and the insights it provides regarding African culture.

How did African artists incorporate the influence of non-Africans into their art and architecture? What indigenous qualities did African artists retain in their work?