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Highlights of Sub-Saharan African Art

Commemorative Post: Male (Ngya), Bongo artist, Wood, paint(?), Bongo — Commemorative Post: Male (Ngya)
Bongo artist
late 19th century

Seated couple, Barnes Foundation Master, Wood, copper and iron alloy, applied organic materials, Dogon — Seated couple
Barnes Foundation Master
18th–early 19th century

Community Power Figure: Male (Nkisi), Wood, copper, brass, iron, fiber, snakeskin, leather, fur, feathers, mud, resin, Songye peoples — Community Power Figure: Male (Nkisi)
Songye peoples
19th–20th century

Priest with raised arms, Dogon blacksmith, Wood, patina, Dogon peoples — Priest with raised arms
Dogon blacksmith
14th–17th century

Queen Mother Pendant Mask: Iyoba, Edo artist, Ivory, iron, brass, coal, traces of iron oxides, Edo — Queen Mother Pendant Mask: Iyoba
Edo artist
16th century

Pair of Diviner's Figures, Wood, pigment, beads, iron, Baule peoples — Pair of Diviner's Figures
Baule peoples
19th–mid-20th century

Eyema byeri (reliquary guardian figure), Okak-Fang artist, Wood, metal, Fang peoples, Okak group — Eyema byeri (reliquary guardian figure)
Okak-Fang artist
19th–early 20th century

Kpeliye’e headdress, Senufo artist, Wood, horns, raffia fiber, cotton cloth, feather, metal, sacrificial material, Senufo peoples — Kpeliye’e headdress
Senufo artist
19th–mid-20th century

Female portrait lü me (figure in wood), Zlan of Belewale, Wood, fiber, pigment, cloth, metal — Female portrait lü me (figure in wood)
Zlan of Belewale
First half 20th century

Helmet Mask, Wood, copper, glass beads, raffia, cowrie shells, Bamum kingdom — Helmet Mask
Bamum kingdom
before 1880

Beete Mask: Ram (Bata), Wood, pigment, kaolin, Kwele peoples — Beete Mask: Ram (Bata)
Kwele peoples
19th–20th century

Mask: Female Figure (Karan-wemba), Wood, metal, Mossi peoples — Mask: Female Figure (Karan-wemba)
Mossi peoples
19th–20th century

Head of an Oba, Edo artist, Brass, Edo artist — Head of an Oba
Edo artist
16th century

Gwandansu, Bamana numuw (blacksmith), Wood (Cordyla africana or Lonchocarpus), applied organic materials, Bamana — Gwandansu
Bamana numuw (blacksmith)
15th–17th century

Male Power Figure (Nkisi), Kongo artist and nganga, Wood, pigment, nails, cloth, beads, shells, arrows, leather, nuts, twine, Kongo — Male Power Figure (Nkisi)
Kongo artist and nganga
late19th–mid-20th century

Sculptural Bust from a Reliquary Ensemble (The Great Bieri), Fang-Betsi artist, Wood, copper alloy, palm oil, Fang-Betsi — Sculptural Bust from a Reliquary Ensemble (The Great Bieri)
Fang-Betsi artist
19th century

Aduno Koro (Ark of the World) vessel with ancestral figures, Dogon blacksmith, Wood, Dogon peoples — Aduno Koro (Ark of the World) vessel with ancestral figures
Dogon blacksmith
16th–19th century

Wunkirmian or wakemia feasting spoon, Dan artist, Wood, pigment, Dan — Wunkirmian or wakemia feasting spoon
Dan artist
19th–mid-20th century

Headdress, Wood, untanned animal skin, cane, metal (iron alloy), pigment, Ejagham peoples — Headdress
Ejagham peoples
19th–20th century

Figure: Head, Soapstone, Yoruba peoples — Figure: Head
Yoruba peoples
12th–15th century

Royal Seat (Lupona): Female Caryatid, Buli Master, possibly Ngongo ya Chintu (Hemba, ca. 1810-1870) Democratic Republic of Congo, Wood, metal studs, Luba or Hemba peoples — Royal Seat (Lupona): Female Caryatid
Buli Master, possibly Ngongo ya Chintu (Hemba, ca. 1810-1870)
19th century

Seated figure, Middle Niger artist, Terracotta, Middle Niger civilization — Seated figure
Middle Niger artist
13th century

Gwantigi, Bamana numuw (blacksmith), Wood, Bamana peoples — Gwantigi
Bamana numuw (blacksmith)
15th–17th century

Seated Chief (Mwanangana) Playing Sanza, Chokwe artist, Wood (uapaca), cloth, fiber, beads, dyes, resinous coating, Chokwe — Seated Chief (Mwanangana) Playing Sanza
Chokwe artist
19th century (before 1869)

Plaque: Warrior and Attendants, Edo artist, Brass, Edo — Plaque: Warrior and Attendants
Edo artist
16th–17th century

Male Figure: Court Official, Brass, Edo peoples — Male Figure: Court Official
Edo peoples
16th–17th century

Lidded Vessel, Ivory, wood or coconut shell inlay, Yoruba peoples, Owo group — Lidded Vessel
Yoruba peoples, Owo group
17th–18th century

Lidded saltcellar, Temne or Bullom artist(s), Ivory, Temne or Bullom — Lidded saltcellar
Temne or Bullom artist(s)
ca. 1490–1530

Òpó (veranda post) with equestrian and female figure, Olowe of Ise Nigerian, Wood, pigment — Òpó (veranda post) with equestrian and female figure
Olowe of Ise
before 1938

Illuminated Gospel, Parchment (vellum), wood (acacia), tempera, ink, Amhara peoples — Illuminated Gospel
Amhara peoples
late 14th–early 15th century

Processional Cross, Ezra Ethiopian, Wood, tin — Processional Cross
Ezra
ca. 1500

Mask (Mukudj), Wood, pigment, kaolin, Punu peoples — Mask (Mukudj)
Punu peoples
19th–20th century

Hazomanga finial, Sakalava artist, Wood, pigment, Sakalava peoples — Hazomanga finial
Sakalava artist
17th–late 18th century

Between Earth and Heaven, El Anatsui Ghanaian, Aluminum, copper wire — Between Earth and Heaven
El Anatsui
2006

Mangaaka Power Figure (Nkisi N’Kondi), Kongo artist and nganga, Yombe group, Wood, iron, resin, ceramic, plant fiber, textile, pigment, Kongo — Mangaaka Power Figure (Nkisi N’Kondi)
Kongo artist and nganga, Yombe group
Second half of the 19th century

Lidded Vessel, Wood, North Nguni peoples — Lidded Vessel
North Nguni peoples
19th century

Throne of Njouteu: Royal Couple, Wood, glass beads, cloth, cowrie shells, Bamileke peoples, Chiefdom of Bansoa — Throne of Njouteu: Royal Couple
Bamileke peoples, Chiefdom of Bansoa
Late 19th–early 20th century

Commemorative Portrait of a Chief (Singiti), Hemba artist, Wood, Dogon — Commemorative Portrait of a Chief (Singiti)
Hemba artist
19th–early 20th century

Portrait of a Woman

1910s

Memorial Head (Nsodie), Akan artist, Terracotta, Akan — Memorial Head (Nsodie)
Akan artist
ca. 1800

Sachihongo Mask, Wood, pigment(?), Mbunda peoples — Sachihongo Mask
Mbunda peoples
19th–early 20th century

Ci wara headdress, Bamana numuw (blacksmith), Wood, metal, Bamana — Ci wara headdress
Bamana numuw (blacksmith)
19th century

Crest (Tsesah), Wood, Bamileke peoples — Crest (Tsesah)
Bamileke peoples
18th century