Introduction to African Arts
Senior 3 · Fine Arts
Introduction to African Arts
Lesson 2 of 4
25 min
The wooden figure below shows a king of the Kuba kingdom, in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who ruled in the eighteenth century. He sits cross-legged on a decorated base, calm and still, wearing a flat royal cap. The face is not a portrait in the European sense; most royal figures of this kind look alike. What tells you which king it is, is the object carved in front of him: his personal emblem. Kuba royal figures like this one are called ndop. Central Africa was home to powerful kingdoms, and much of its finest art was made for their courts.
Definition
Court art (royal art): art made for kings, chiefs and their courts, to show power, wealth and history.
Reliquary: a container for relics, such as the bones of respected ancestors.
Caryatid: a carved figure that acts as a support, for example holding up the seat of a stool.
Emblem: an object or image that stands for a person or office.
Raffia: fibre from the leaves of the raffia palm, woven into cloth in Central Africa.
| People | Where | Notable art | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kuba | Democratic Republic of the Congo | ndop royal figures; raffia cloth with cut-pile and embroidered geometric patterns; carved cups and boxes | record kings; show rank and wealth |
| Luba | south-east DR Congo | stools held up by kneeling female figures; lukasa memory boards covered in beads and shells | royal office; remembering history |
| Kongo | lower Congo River (DR Congo, Republic of the Congo, Angola) | nkisi figures, some with nails and blades driven in | healing, oaths and protection, through a ritual specialist |
| Fang | Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon | reliquary guardian heads and figures (byeri) | guard containers holding ancestors' relics |
| Chokwe | north-east Angola and nearby | mwana pwo masks of an ideal young woman; carved chiefs' chairs | dances, teaching values; chiefly rank |
The Fang head above was fixed to the top of a bark box that held the bones of important ancestors. Its job was to guard them. Its maker reduced the face to a few smooth, balanced forms: a great domed forehead, a long nose, small round eyes and a pursed mouth. The surface was rubbed with oil until it shone, a sign of care and respect.
Worked example 1: reading a royal figure
How does the ndop show that this man is a king?
Pose: seated cross-legged, upright and still, a posture of authority and calm.
Regalia: the flat cap, the belt and armbands carved with patterns are royal dress.
Emblem: the object in front of him identifies him among all Kuba kings.
Base: the platform with its geometric pattern lifts him above ordinary people.
Together these show rank and character more than physical likeness.
Worked example 2: comparing purposes
Compare the purpose of a Luba caryatid stool with a Fang reliquary head.
Luba stool: a seat of office for a ruler, held up by a kneeling woman, honouring the importance of women in royal lineage. It is about political authority.
Fang head: a guardian for the relics of family ancestors. It is about family, memory and protection.
Similar: both are carved wood, both are calm and symmetrical, and both link people with ancestors and with power.
<em>Fang Reliquary Figure</em>, from Smarthistory. Listen for how the figure was used with the reliquary box, and how its proportions express ideas about ancestors.
Warning
Objects out of context. Many Central African objects in museums were collected during the colonial period, often without fair consent, and some were sacred. Describe them respectfully, and remember that photographs show them without their original setting and use.
Tip
Kings, ancestors, patterns. Three keys to Central African art: court art for kingdoms, objects linked to ancestors, and rich geometric surface pattern.
Practice
What is an ndop, and how is each one identified?
What was the purpose of a Fang reliquary head?
Name two Luba art forms and what each was used for.
What is raffia, and how did the Kuba use it?
Give three characteristics of Central African art, with an example of each.
Analyse the Fang head using the four steps: describe, analyse, interpret, judge.
Design task. Design a border pattern for a book cover inspired by Central African geometric patterns. Use at least two of interlace, zigzag and lozenge, and credit the source of your inspiration.
1. A Kuba royal figure of a king; each is identified by the king's personal emblem carved in front of him.
2. It was fixed to a bark box holding the relics of important ancestors, to guard them.
3. Caryatid stools (seats of office for rulers) and lukasa memory boards (used by court historians to remember history).
4. Fibre from raffia palm leaves; the Kuba wove it into cloth decorated with cut-pile and embroidered geometric patterns, used as clothing, gifts and wealth.
5. For example: court art (ndop figures); ancestor art (Fang reliquary heads); geometric pattern (Kuba cups and cloth); calm faces (ndop, Fang head).
6. Answers vary; check use of all four steps, for example noting the domed forehead, smooth oiled surface, symmetry, and the calm, guarding expression.
7. Check: at least two pattern types; a repeated, balanced border; a credit line.
Rwanda's kingdom also had royal arts. As you read the next lessons, look for similarities between the court arts of Central Africa and the arts of the Rwandan royal court.
Sources and credits
