#west African art

[lionofchaeronea]

Ivory double bell (egogo) from the Benin kingdom in present-day Edo State, Nigeria, depicting the oba (king) with his arms upheld by two attendants, possibly high priests. The oba wielded the egogo during the Emobo rite that concluded the Igue festival, using its sound to repel troublesome spirits. Artist unknown; early 16th century. Now in the Brooklyn Museum. Photo credit: Brooklyn Museum.

[museum-archives]

Mask (n'tomo)

C. 1930

Africa, West Africa, Mali, Bamana-style or Malinke-style blacksmith-carver

Wood, aluminum, copper alloy, animal hair, and steel

[panafrocore]

The Symbolic Significance of Carved Leopards in the Kingdom of Benin

The Kingdom of Benin, located in present-day Nigeria, is renowned for its exquisite craftsmanship, particularly in the realm of carved artifacts. Among the most striking and symbolic pieces produced in the kingdom are the carved leopards, which offer a fascinating glimpse into the cultural and artistic significance of the era. These intricately carved leopards, crafted from ivory and adorned…

[theredpharaoah]

Is there any pre-colonial West African drawing styles? I know about sculpting and textiles but I’m looking for drawing/painting specifically. Also y’all got any book suggestions for West African Vodun and Bakongo religion specifically?

[apennyforurthots]

I Thought About You Today

A short film by Ask

[nobrashfestivity]

Unknow Artist Guinea Dog stone Sapi or Kissi group Expo cat.: "KAOS-Parcours des Mondes", Paris, 2002:16-17 Tagliaferri (Aldo), "Pomdo Mayen Yafe et Nomoli", Paris: galerie Johann Levy, 2003: #22

[slimmwrites]

Was told the art I'll share on here will get more engagement than it ever did/will on Twitter, so I'm bringing my best work forward and sharing this piece I made of beautiful african women🫣🎨🤎

[389]

HIGH NOON by Kadir Nelson

[kaiyastarz]

Kali

[lionofchaeronea]

Wooden figurine representing the Yoruba deity Eshu. Artist unknown; 1880-1920. Photo credit: Wellcome Images/Wellcome Trust.

[museum-archives]

Container

c. 1920

Africa, West Africa, Nigeria, possibly Oyo region,

Yorùbá-style carver

Wood, paint, and iron alloy

[panafrocore]

Bambara Human Figure, Late 19th to Early 20th Century, Mali.

The Bamana people, an integral part of the Mandé ethno-linguistic group, boast a rich and intricate history that stretches back centuries. Originating as a royal segment of the Mandinka people, the Bamana played a vital role in shaping the Mali Empire during the 13th Century. However, their roots within the Mandé group date back even further, with divergence dating back an impressive 7,000…

[kiskutnya]

A friendly(..?) spider greets you~!

He's inspired by Anansi :)

[howhow326]

[Google translation]

<Genma> Anansi

The demon we will be introducing this time is "Anansi". A god or spirit believed to have originated from the Ashanti tribe, and is said to be a mischievous trickster. His success is not limited to West Africa, but today he is reported to be active in various parts of the world.

Anansi is often seen playing an active role in folk tales as a representative of the sky god Nyame (another name for Onyankopon). The wide range of folklore is also appealing, such as being involved in the creation of the sun, stars, and moon as a god, and bestowing technology and knowledge on humanity as a cultural hero.

There are many different forms of these creatures, such as a human figure or a transformed spider, but in fact, there are no icons that represent representative figures that have been passed down since the mythological period. Therefore, while the devil's appearance in this work is based on Ashanti's design, it is basically designed based on the original interpretation.

What we paid particular attention to in the design was the reproduction of the figure, which is said to be both a human and a spider. The problem was how to give the impression of being half-human, half-insect. In the end, we grew spider legs on the back of the human body and used them in various shapes, but we also created a distinctive silhouette, and I feel that we were able to create a unique impression as a design. If you look closely, you can see that the compound eyes are a charm point that adds to the spider-like character.

Regarding the gourd placed on the head, one of the most famous stories of Anansi is the one in which he tries to trap all the wisdom of the world in a gourd, but then releases it from the emptiness. So I tried putting a gourd on my head straight. As for the curve ball, it might have been interesting even if the head was shaped like a gourd (lol).

Well, this work also depicts a new story of Anansi, in a different form from the mythical story. This is a quest that expresses Anansi's personality, so please look forward to it.

Masayuki Doi

[arthistoryanimalia]

For #ManateeAppreciationDay:

1. original watercolor by Joseph Wolf (German, 1820-1899) for ZSL, 1879 via ZSL Library 2. published version, plate 7 in Biologia Centrali-Americana: Mammalia, 1879-1882 via BHL

More info via ZSL Library: "Watercolour on paper, in window mount ; art - 35 x 27 cm., mount - 57.5 x 44.5 cm. Signed by artist in black paint in lower right corner: 'J. Wolf. 1879'." "Mss title in ink and pencil, in unidentified handwriting, on label pasted on mount: 'Manatee (Manatus americanus) from a specimen living in the Westminster Aquarium 1879. See PZS 1879'."

"According to the caption the painting was made of an animal living in Westminster Aquarium. A manatee - said to be Manatus americanus - was living in the Westminster Aquarium in 1879 and a note about it by Dr James Murie was published in 'PZS' 1879 : 552. This refers to Murie's forthcoming paper on that manatee based on observations of the great mobility of the upper lip and use of the limbs in feeding when it was living in the Aquarium and brain structure (after it died). This paper was published : Murie, J. (1880) 'Further observations on the manatee', 'TZS' 11 : 19-48 5 pls (by C. Berjeau). On p. 21-23 Murie states the adult female manatee was caught in a net on the Dauntless Bank, off the Island of Lequana, near the mouth of the Essiquibo River, British Guiana, taken to London and purchased by the Aquarium in June 1878. It died on 15 March 1879. Wolf's painting is [therefore] presumably of the West African manatee, Trichechus senegalensis."

🆔Manatee, likely West African Manatee (Trichechus senegalensis); Kingfisher, likely Giant Kingfisher (Megaceryle maxima)

FYI, there are three living species of manatee, and Wolf's illustration has gone through the confusion of first being misidentified as one, then another, before finally being correctly recognized as the third! More info on the blog: