Content Area 6: Africa

1100–1980 C.E. (14 WORKS)

AIC teacher materials
Smarthistory Africa intro

167.​ Conical tower and circular wall of Great Zimbabwe. Southeastern Zimbabwe. Shona peoples. c.
1000–1400 C.E. Coursed granite blocks, 1,780 acres. ​(an acre is 76% of a football field, with end zones)
-Conical tower. Great Zimbabwe Shona, Zimbabwe. c. 1350-1450 C.E. Stone, height of tower 30’.
-Circular wall – up to 36’ tall, 825’ long

Content
-Zimbabwe means “house of stone”
-Was made a UNESCO site in 1981
-Across 1,800 acres
-Sits 1,100 km above sea level
-Was constructed and expanded for over 300 years
-There are many others like it on the plain
-Commonly referred to as The Great Enclosure, walls are
as high as 36 feet and extend 820 feet
-Stone walls are constructed of granite blocks from the
surrounding hills, can be broken down into slabs and
easily moveable
-Piled on top of each other, slightly recessed, creating a
stabilizing inward slope

Context
-Covered a huge area, spilling out into current day Botswana and Mozambique; showed political
influence
-Wealth lay in the cattle production and gold
-Gold mines are nearby, which were not owned by the rules of the Great Zimbabwe, but managed it for
trade with cattle
-Center of international commercial system, could have extended as far as India and China
-Unclear who ruled it, but thought to be the Karanga, a branch of the Shona-speaking people
-Descended from Bantu-speaking people
-Only 200-300 members of the elite class lived there
-Shona peoples are divided by region, Western and Eastern, in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Botswana
-Was originally a pejorative term, but is now owned by the Shona people
-Often determined by language dialects
-Shona people migrated from Sahara and founded the Shona kingdom, they prospered in trade due to
their location and
proceeded to build this large palace, which overlooked a city of 18,000 people.

Three parts
-​Hill ruin-oldest, built on rocky hilltop
overlooking the other sites
-Incorporates a cave that acts as a
megaphone projecting the sound out of the valley
-​The Great Enclosure​-less than a mile
away
-Great Enclosure has smaller walls with narrow
passageways
-Has a platform that probably displayed small
soapstone carvings of phalluses and breasts

-​Hill Ruin​ had irregular courses, with narrow ,

winding passageways, and once had floors of
polished clay, also had small towers on top

-​Valley Ruins​-remnants of low stone

walls
-Walls are not defensive
-Cattle and people were valued above land, and
were unable to be hoarded
-Symbolic show of power and authority
-Preserve the privacy of the royal families and set
them apart and above commoners
-Walls were later surrounded by small huts that
were linked to form courtyards
-Valley Ruins contain variety of different structures
-Found items from China and other parts of Eastern
Asia, as well as other parts of Africa
-Where the soapstone birds are found

Soapstone Birds
-Located on the route between the region’s
gold producing regions and ports
-May have also served as a religious site with
the soapstone birds
-On top of columns, and are 16 inches tall
-Human features like lips for a beak, and five toed
feet for claws
-Probably emblems of royal authority
-Are on the current Zimbabwean flag
168.​ Great Mosque of Djenné. Mali. Founded c. 1200 C.E.; rebuilt 1906–1907. Adobe, 245’ x 245’, raised
9’ above marketplace, central tower approx. 52’ high.

Content:
-Mud interior
-Clay plaster exterior
-Mud and clay insulate temperature
-Thickness and height correlate on walls
-Mud is primary building tool in Djenne
-Typical Malian style of using mud, wood,
and clay with conical spikes
-While indicative of Malian architecture
it molds to fit the purpose of a mosque,
such as minarets and large prayer halls

Context:
-Was originally a palace
-Replaced with a Mosque in 1240 by Koi Kunboro in 1240
-Amadou Lobbo conquered Djenne and demolished the mosque in 1834, citing that it was too
ornate
-Small part of the original mosque remains, contains bones of local leaders
-Current structure was built in 1906 and remains
-Is resurfaced annually during a community festival (The protruding beams allow for climbing the
mosque to resurface high areas)
-DJENNE is a UNESCO site, due to its antique character, something the community fights for
-Annual ceremony to restore it
-Men divide the mosque in half and two sides race to cover their side of the building entirely in mud
before the other can
-This upkeep is necessary as the building is vulnerable to erosion by rain because of the mud it is made
of

Function​:
- Not originally religious
-Not the original temple (1906)
-The city floods
-DJENNE: 32,000 residents
-Architect: Ismaila

The Great Mosque - Inside

-​The structure is supported by 90 load
bearing pillars inside the prayer hall
-Ventilation via ceramic caps that can be
removed to allow hot air to escape the
building, keeping rooms cool
-The courtyard is surrounded by arched
openings
-While many mosques have been
modernized with retiled outsides and
modern conveniences, Djenne opted to
keep the historic elements of the mosque
169.​ Wall plaque, from Oba’s Palace. Edo peoples, Benin (Nigeria). 16th century C.E. Cast brass, 18 ¾”
high. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
-Contextual photograph: Oba of Benin, ​Oba Akenzua II (1933-1978), full regalia includes several carved
ivory plaques worn at his waist. Benin, Nigeria, 1964. (Photographer ?)

Context
-Live at the lower reaches of the Niger River with varied topological and ecological features,
delta, and swampy, tropical rainforest
-Edo peoples are a large group of other smaller groups
-Artistic diversity stems from social and political institutions, historical interactions and
experiences
-In Benin, it is hierarchical, and received regional power from Europeans from the 1400s on
-Benin became centralized during the early 13th century, and is now legendary
-Founded from the Yoruba city of Ife (see Veranda Post)
-Became an imperial power in 1400s, conquering several neighboring peoples, helped by the Portuguese
to achieve farthest empire during 1500s
-Nigeria
-Ghana,
-Benin
-The Role of the King
-​Oba means “king” ​and is the ideological center of
-Benin culture, most art forms feature the king,
and secondarily, his court officials, warriors, or
musicians
-Also the principal patron of the arts, and oral
histories remember specific kings
-Has had continuous residence in royal palace
-King was thought to be the center point, from him
a sequence of circles radiate outwards, similar to
the plan of Benin City
-Palace at center, surrounded on most sides by
compounds of lesser chiefs, nobles, craftspeople,
and other court members
-Beyond are the villages that pay tribute, farther out
are enemies and strangers

Function:
-Processions
-Oba is flanked by court members, sometimes with his
arms supported by designated title-holders
-Transformed by costume and regalia into a work of
art, walking pyramid with assemblages of symbolic
materials and emblems
-Wears cloth woven by his weavers’ guild and embellished
with regal motifs
-Tunic and headpiece are coral, armlets of ivory
-All parts contribute to his central role of maintaining
order in the universe
-Multilayered wrapper creates large conical base, making
him seem larger than life; also hides legs, considered to
be dangerous and mysterious
-Headdress points upward like a spiritual antenna and
adds height
-Thus a living work of art, hierarchical composition

Content:
-Prominent in the artistic legacy of the Benin people
-Over 1,000 are known
-Use lost-wax process
-Depict royals, chiefs, court members, warriors, musicians
and sometimes Portuguese men
-Human figures are modeled in high relief, with static
poses, on neutral, textured background
-Attendants of varying sizes stand in stiffly frontal
postures, ceremonial, regalia and dress precisely
rendered
-Primary purpose: to embellish the pillars and walls of
the palace
-Also served as mnemonic devices recording the ranks and
ceremonies of the court
-Influence from the Portuguese: brass metals and
rectangular plaque (like an illustrated book)

Influence of Europe
-​Arrived in Benin in the 1480s, began a trading
relationship with mutual benefit
-Benin received cloth, cowrie shells, coral, brass, weapons
-Portugal received ivory, spices, and later, slaves
-When Portuguese originally arrived, the Edo people
may have believed it was their water god Olokun
-Portuguese received a warm welcome, so probably true
-Were not discriminated as outsiders, portrayed in art
without criticism or caricature
-Fully accepted and participating in Benin society
-In 1897 a British officer wanted to visit the king, was
told it was not the right time, he came anyway, and
was killed—British Punitive Expedition
-British navy retaliated, found human sacrifices and
burned much of the city, exiled the kings and removed
thousands of art objects from the capital

Equestrian statue
-​Connected to first Oba, who was the first to
travel by horse
-Use of hierarchical scale, flanked by
attendants that show their relative rank
-Beaded coral around his neck indicates he is a
king, shields above his head protect him from
harm or the sun
-Order of the posts on the wall would have told
the history of the royal lineage of Obas
-Sequence is lost because they have been
removed
-Rosette shapes in back probably influenced by
Christian crosses
-Was likely removed during the Benin Punitive
Expedition
170​. ​Sika dwa kofi ​(Golden Stool). Ashanti peoples (south central Ghana). c. 1700 C.E. Gold over wood
and cast-gold attachments, curved seat 18” high, platform 2’ wide, 11 ¾” deep.
-Contextual photograph: ​Sika dwa kofi. ​Otumfuo Opoku Ware II, Asantehene, Asante peoples, Kumase,
Ghana, 1995​.

-Tradition has it that this stool, covered with pure gold, floated out of the sky and landed on the lap of the
first Asantehene (Asante king), Osei-tutu.
- He unified the people in the 17th century.
- His chief priest declared that the soul of the nation resided in this stool.
In reality the stool was created by: Anokye, the chief priest of Osei-tutu.

Content:

-Made of gold . 18 in high, 24 in long, 12 in wide never allowed to sit on the ground (placed on blanket) so
sacred, no one has ever sat on it.

-A new king is lowered and raised over the Golden Stool without touching it no one could be a legitimate
ruler without the stool

Context:

-Stool is very important to the Asante; war has broken out over it

- March 1900: European Gov. Hodgson demanded the stool; war broke out, and the stool was never
surrendered Sacred Stool Not many have seen the original

- Only the king and trusted advisors know its hiding place
-All chiefs have a symbolic replica of the stool At chiefs funeral, the stool is blackened with animal blood

The Golden Stool of the Asante

-The Golden Stool of the Asante contains the soul or sunsum of the nation.
- It is considered to be so sacred that no one is allowed to sit on it. It is kept under the strictest security
-; it is taken outside only on exceptional occasions and never comes into contact with earth or the ground.
-The Asante have always defended the Golden Stool when it was at risk.

171.​ ​Ndop ​(portrait figure) of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul. Kuba peoples (Democratic Republic of the
Congo). c. 1760–1780 C.E. Wood, 19 ½” x 7 5/8” x 8 5/8”. Brooklyn Museum, New York.

-Contextual photograph: ​Ndop. ​Kuba Nyim (ruler) Kot a Mbweeky III in state dress with royal drum in
Mushenge, Zaire

Content:
-Sacred medicines and divine protection are central to the belief of the BaKongo peoples (Democratic
Republic of Congo).
-The BaKongo believe that the great god, Ne Kongo, brought the first sacred medicine (or nkisi) down
from heaven in an earthenware vessel set upon three stones or termite mounds.Content:
-Anthropomorphic figure with enlarged head
- Head considered the center of intelligence and idea
-Sits cross-legged on raised platform
-Holds a royal drum and wears a hat (presumably a crown)
-Ndop figures are idealized portraits of individual Kuba rulers.
-This ndop, considered the oldest in existence, displays the king’s symbol, a drum with a severed hand.
-As in other ndop figures, the ruler sits cross-legged on a raised platform.
- His face expresses both aloofness and composure.
-The short sword in his left hand (held with handle out, indicating the nonaggressive pose of the nyim)
and the belts, arm bands, bracelets, shoulder ornaments, and special projecting headdress are all
elements of royal regalia.
-Ndop figures were believed to represent and honor the spirit of the nyim and serve as a point of contact
with his spirit.

Context:
-​Commissioned in 1710 by Kuba King Mishe miShyaang maMbul at height of his reign
-Celebrates his generosity and great number of loyal subjects
-Ndop is record of his reign and solidifies his accomplishments
-Purchased by the Brooklyn Museum in 1961
-Collected in 1909 by a colonial minister in what was then the Belgian Congo
-Kuba peoples did not have written historical records; instead used Ndops

Form​:
-Carved out of wood
-Intricate detailing on the arms, drums, face, and platform

Function:
-Commemorates accomplishments of the King it portrays
-Record of the King's reign
172​. Power figure (​Nkisi n’kondi​)​. ​Kongo peoples (Democratic R
​ epublic of the Congo). c. late 19th century C.E.
Wood and metal, 3’10 ¼” high. Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan.

Form:
-​Wood and metal; a reliquary figure (a magical form seemingly carved in the likeness of a human)

Function:
-​Strong sculptural tradition among these people
-Used power figures as reminders of social obligations and enforcers of proper behavior
-Brought healing and protection to the community
-To symbolize an honoring of contracts and agreements
-Held sacred herbs and medicines
-Had the power to heal but also the power to harm
-The force was drawn to the figure by the application of medicines packed in resin on its head and in the
projecting box, sealed by a mirror, on its abdomen.
-In the Kongo language, spiritually invested objects are called minkisi (singular, nkisi).
-This nkisi is also called nkondi, or hunter, referring to its power to aggressively track down offenders

Content:
-​Wooden human figure (meant to highlight its function in human affairs)
-Elongated belly button with cowrie shell (placed on its abdomen) - likely symbols of fertility, a link to
their ancestors, and wealth (these shells were widely used as currency in the region)
-The iron chain, cowrie shells, bone, and small calabashes strung around the figure enhance its ability to
attract a spirit and may be connected to a specific problem that its power was called on to resolve.
A nail or a blade was driven into the figure each time its spiritual force was invoked.
-Wide, staring eyes and imposing stance - to help ensure that no other forces would interfere with the
fulfillment of its ritual function (in which the spirit would seek vengeance on the wrongdoer)
-Often contain medicinal combinations inside them, covered by a piece of glass (glass represents the
‘other world’)
-These reflective objects symbolized contact with the supernatural
Context:
-​Figures of spiritual importance and protection - very significant to the Kongo people
-Mediators between ancestral spirit world and the living world
-A historic document of a people who sought out help from their ritual specialist
-Confiscated/destroyed by missionaries of the late 19th century when found
-Carved by a spiritual specialist (called the nganga) who activates the figures by driving nails, blades, and
other metal objects into its wooden surface to make it “angry” and “rouse it into action”
173​. Portrait mask ​(Mblo)​. Baule peoples (Côte d’Ivoire). Late 19th to early 20th century C.E. Wood and
pigment, 14 ¼” high. ​Private Collection​.

Form:
-Mask made of wood

Function:
-Dancing mask (religious)
-Showed the beauty of Baule culture

Context:
-Mblo masks shows the Baule sculpture style
-Were impersonating animals to human caricatures
-Plays tribute to the community's most admired member
-A man normally gave a woman the mask to award her for her dancing skills and beauty
-Shows the respect the Baule people have for their ancestors
-The artist purposely carved the masks to be unique
-The masks were carved to look like a specific person so each one was different

Content:
-Symmetrical
-Introspective
-High foreheads and large eyes
174​. Female ​(Pwo) ​mask. Chokwe peoples (Democratic Republic of the Congo). Late 19th to early 20th
century C.E. Wood, fiber, pigment, and metal, 15 3/8” 8 3/8” x 9 ¼”. National Museum of African Art,
Smithsonian, Washington, DC.

Form
- Wooden mask, carved from the wood Alstonia
- Wood stained with red clay and oil
- Eyes covered in white clay
- Braided fiber coiffure

Function
- Dancing mask, ritualistic/religious
- One of the most popular masks
-Representative of young women who had already given birth
eyes closed represent an ancestor who had passed away

Content
- Pwo, or young woman who has given birth
- Adorned with jewelry, tattoos, and elaborate hairstyle
- Tattoos
Left cheek and forehead: cingelyengelye, orignially a tin necklace in the form of a cross, based on
christian cross distributed by Capuchin monks
Right cheek: cijingo, or spiral brass bracelet, combined with a cross
Forehead: mitelumuna, knitted eyebrows, allusion to discontent or arrogance
- Themes: youth, femininity, beauty
Context
- Matrilineal culture
- Dance the pwo to honor the founding female ancestor of their lineage
- Man dresses as woman for the dance
- When the mask becomes unusable it is discarded, when the wearer dies it is buried with the dancer
175​. ​Bundu ​mask. Sande Society, Mende peoples (West African forests of Sierra Leone and Liberia). 19th
to 20th century C.E. Wood, cloth, and fiber. Similar mask 13 ¾” x 8 3/8” x 9 11/16”. Metropolitan
Museum of Art.
-Contextual photograph​: ​Bundu​ mask, William Siegmann Estate, Edward DeCarbo, Executor.

Content/Form:
-Carved out of Wood, they used rough leaves from Ficus Tree to smooth the surface, then dyed black
from a mixture of leaves
-Anointed (Coated) with Palm Oil— glow + shiny surface
-Wearer puts on thick/heavy (attached from neck) costume with heavy fibre strands- made of layers of
raffia fibers dyed black
-Made to help young girls transition into womanhood and is worn during ceremonies and rituals
-Initiation of young girls, where they were instructed on how to become good wives and mothers: in
order to have a productive adulthood
-Represents an ideal feminine beauty: physical representation of transition into womanhood
-Palm Oil+Shiny Surface on Mask represents importance of healthy, glowing skin + full forehead
-The rolls at the back of the neck indicate a promise of fertility and reproduction, also of wealth and high
status
-The mouth- is small and pursed, indicates composure
-The nose- is delicate and shape, loathing of bad smells and want of pureness
-The eyes- are goodness, reveals a person’s true feelings, the eyes are slits: conceal identity and make it
impossible to communicate by looking into her eyes
-The raffia- represents importance of a thick head of hair- indicates wealth & elegance

Context:
-The Mask is used by the Sande Society, and is worn by the Mende women of Sierra Leone.
-The Sande Society is a society of women who are responsible for preparing young girls for adulthood.

Function:
-In this initiation ceremony, a society member appears as Sowo, the water spirit of the Sande Society.
-The mask represents the ideal beauty of women and the sculpted head of the Sowo.
-The mask is silent, not necessarily spiritual, more informative.
-Through dance movements and stories that go along to the dances, it tells the girls practical
information, pertaining to cooking, raising kids, being a good wife, and also teaches them about their
culture and the values of it.
-The black, glowing face represents the transitional beauty into adulthood- young girls’ bodies were
anointed with white clay to make them unattractive and pasty, to suggest they hadn't become women.
-The surface of the mask indicates this transition to womanhood
-One of the only masks made for women, most made for men.
-The costume worn in the ceremony is made of raffia, and no part of the body is left exposed to not
allow spirits to enter and to not let the identity be known.
176​. ​Ikenga ​(shrine figure). Igbo peoples (Nigeria). c. 19th to 20th century C.E. Wood. Similar figure 19
1/16” x 4” x 4 7/16”. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Form:
-Small wooden statue
-Some as tall as 6 feet tall
-Others small enough to hold within the palm of a hand
-All Ikenga are taller than they are wide
-Resembles a human figure with animal characteristics
-Horns curve away at a 45 degree angle
-Holding object
-Right hand rest on his stomach while left hand is straight by his side

Function:
-Acted as a guardian to help one achieve success and personal achievement
-The wood carvings were vessels for spiritual forces
-It could call upon help from ancestors, as well as one’s own personal spirit
-A physical symbol of the owner's prowess in a particular area
-Whatever your profession was, your ikenga would have designs and carvings to show that you were an
expert at that profession
-While ikenga do resemble the people for whom they were carved, they are meant to symbolize the
significance of that person in society or any past accomplishments of the person

Content:
-The right hand is always holding a tool or weapon, either a staff, a sword, tusk, hoe, or other tools of
craftsmanship
-Rams horns signify strength and aggression
-Horns have intricate decorative patterns
-Detailing on the body and head suggestive of scarification

Context:
-​Always kept within the home of the owner
-When the owner dies, it is either buried or destroyed as its purpose has been fulfilled
-Personal shrines were created to honor the power of the persons right hand
-Once commissioned, it would be placed in a shrine in the owners home
-Sacrifices of wine, food, and blood were made in honor of the statue
-Would be placed or poured directly on the surface of the statue
-Not a portrait
-A symbolic representation of the owner
-Made by the Igbo people of present day Nigeria
-Igbo civilization began in the 19th century and still survives (on a smaller scale) in the present day
Most of their art, as with much of other African art, was not meant to be interpreted literally
177​. ​Lukasa ​(memory board). Mbudye Society, Luba peoples (Democratic Republic of the Congo). c. 19th
to 20th century C.E. Wood, beads, and metal. Similar board 10” x 5 ¾” x 1 ¾”. Brooklyn Museum, New
York.

Form:
-Wood, beads, and metal; handheld wooden objects

Function:
-Used to illustrate political and historical ideas
-Enables the oral retelling of history in Luba culture
-Which was periodically used in spiritual rituals
-Allude to ancestral deities; record the names of the royal Luba line
-Wooden boards covered with beads, metal, and shells, assembled so as to tell a story, deciphered only
by trained members of the society
-Narrow center of the board - making it easier to hold

Content:
-The head of the board associate with the tortoise
-The back associated with the crocodile as it demonstrated the power of an animal that could thrive
both on land and in the water.
-Beads represented important people within Mbudye society

Context:
-Only particular members of the community were able to decipher them (like the man pictured in the
image above, who is in the act of reading a memory board)
-Provide us with information about the Luba people, showing us a potential relationship in how councils
of men and women helped kings and chiefs to maintain order and discipline in the society
-Only the most senior members of the council (who have mastered all levels of historical knowledge) can
-interpret these boards
-The Luba had access to a great variety of natural resources (ie, gold, ivory, copper); also traded and
produced objects to the like of wood sculptures (and pottery)
“Read” by touching the surface with one’s forefinger
178​. Elephant mask. Bamileke (Cameroon, western grassfields region). c. 19th to 20th century C.E.
Wood, woven raffia, cloth, and beads, 61” x 24 ½”. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Function:
-Would be worn with red feather headdress and leopard pelt
-Combination of divine rule and animal power
-people of great power would wear it
-warriors, nobles, and kings
-Now people with political power wear these masks

Form:
-elephants: intellect and strength-Isosceles triangle is highly stylized but relates the leopard patterning
-Ritually still performed today not by warriors but powerful members of their society.

Content:
-Elephant mask composed of cloth to which various colored beads have been sewn, and wearing its own
complimentary hat.
- The cloth foundation is primarily deep navy blue.
-The mask form is composed of a hood-like head/face with round eyes outlined in red cloth and white
beads, a nose of red cloth to which are sewn pale blue beads, and an oval shaped red cloth mouth
outlined in white beads.
- The rest of the face has white, deep yellow, and varying shades of blue beads, as well as cowrie shell
decoration.
-The square shaped hat attached to the back of the hood is decorated with blue and white beads.
- The mask has large disk shaped ears with white, blue and deep yellow beads.
- Two long rectangular panels (representing the elephants trunk) extend down the head; there is one
panel in front and one hangs in the back.
- The inside lining of the panels is woven raffia fiber cloth.
-The panels have white, blue, ochre, and red beads.
- The bead design is geometric and relies primarily on a basic isosceles triangle pattern and its variants,
for example, triangle radiates outward from a circle, or are arranged in an hour-glass like design.
179​. Reliquary figure (​nlo bieri​). Fang peoples (southern Cameroon). c. 19th to 20th century C.E. Wood,
23” x 5 7/8” x 5”. Brooklyn Museum, New York.

Form:
-Wooden carved figures

Function:
-Guard family reliquary boxes (reliquary - container for holy relics)
-Like a talisman (an object with supernatural properties that protects from evil and brings good luck)
-Sometimes were consulted when considering an important decision
-Sometimes used as puppets to teach their ancestral history to young men of the society
-Express certain spiritual ideas (not naturalistic)
-The head is symbolic of an infant, while the body represents that of an adult

Content:
-Enlarged head - indicating intelligence
-Bulging belly button - indicating a link to their ancestors
-Bulging muscles contrast with a contemplative/serene, expressionless face and a symmetrical pose
-Elongated torso; downcast eyes; closed mouth
-Powerful musculature of the figure
represents a popular hairstyle of high status men of the time

Context:
-Enlarged head - indicating intelligence
-Bulging belly button - indicating a link to their ancestors
-Bulging muscles contrast with a contemplative/serene, expressionless face and a symmetrical pose
-Elongated torso; downcast eyes; closed mouth
-Powerful musculature of the figure
represents a popular hairstyle of high status men of the time
-Emphasis on the idea of a guardian figure, instead of depicting a realistic human figure
-Suggests honor/respect by the closed eyes and patient expression
-Simultaneously suggests its strength to ward off spirits/humans
180. Veranda post of enthroned king and senior wife. Olowe of Ise (Yoruba peoples). c. 1910-1914 C.E.
Wood and pigment, 60” x 12 ½” x 16”. Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.

Content:
-One of four carved wooden posts, painted with unknown pigment

Context:
-​Influential style in Yoruba culture for centuries
-Olowe considered by many the best Yoruba carver ever, died in 1938
-Most important of the four veranda posts commissioned, focal point of entry

Form:
-Depicts king seated (focal figure)
Senior wife behind, crowning him, large scale and pose underscore her importance: participating in
-coronation and political advisor to king
-Small figures at feet of king represent a junior wife, trickster god Esu playing the flute, and and at one
point a fan bearer, now missing
- Emblematic of Olowe of Ise's style; exaggerated proportions, interrelationship between figures, and
open space between them
-Technical composition conveys close relationship between King and Queen
-Line of queen's jaw continues by bird's tail
-Diagonal line of breasts continues in king's jaw and is repeated in his arms

Function:
-Veranda post, architectural, structural support for palace at Ikere