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Miniature Mask Pendant,

Gold Weight in the Form of a Leopard Attacking a Pangolin,

Rattle,

Counselor’s staff (Okyeame Poma),

Gold leaf-covered sculptures surmounting staffs such as this one embody proverbs that communicate ideas about wisdom. Counselors to Akan kings and chiefs carry resplendent gold staffs on public occasions to send silent messages to their audiences. The imagery of this finial sculpture relates to proverbs associated with good leadership. A focused facial expression animates the […]

Sword,

Qur’an and African Trade Beads,

Figure of a Man Riding an Elephant,

This extraordinary sculpture, now fragmentary, presents an intentionally disproportionate image of a large, broad-shouldered man, with a carefully manicured beard, riding a tiny elephant. Their inter-locking forms suggest a mutual interdependence. The shapes of their ears echo one another. The rider grasps the elephant’s ear, a significant gesture since elephants hear sounds inaudible to humans. […]

Asafo Flag,

Fante textile artists have been creating Asafo flags for at least three hundred years. Asafo were originally military organizations, but today they perform more civic duties. The flag is embroidered with the Elmina forts, established by the Portuguese in 1482. The two forts, St. George and St. Jago, were linked by a telegraph wire in […]

Portrait of Sogolon, Mother of Sundiata, Founder of the Empire of Mali,

This torso, from the region of the ancient city of Djenné, depicts Sogolon, mother of Sundiata Keita (ca. 1217–1255 CE), founder of the Mali Empire. Sogolon was a real woman immortalized in the Epic of Sundiata. Over time, myth imbued her with supernatural abilities, including invincibility and the ability to transform herself into a buffalo-woman.

Female Figure,

This small, elegant sculpture in the form of a seated female figure, now fragmentary, comes from the Bamana region of Mali, West Africa. Passages from a praise poem suggest how women of extraordinary accomplishment are regarded in Bamana society: “If you are not afraid of females, Master . . . If you are not afraid […]