11th to 18th Centuries 399*From this point on, all dates in this chapter are CEunless otherwise stated.15-7Archer, from Djenne, Mali, 13th to 15th century. Terracotta,
2 ^3 – 8 high. National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C.
Djenne terracottas present a striking contrast to the statues from Ile-Ife
(FIG. 15-6). This archer is thin with tubular limbs and an elongated head
featuring a prominent chin, bulging eyes, and large nose.11TH TO 18TH
CENTURIES*
Although kings ruled some African population groups from an early
date, the best evidence for royal arts in Africa comes from the several
centuries between about 1000 and the beginning of European colo-
nization in the 19th century. This period also brought the construc-
tion of major houses of worship for the religions of Christianity and
Islam, both of which originated in the Middle East but quickly
gained adherents in Africa.Ile-Ife
Africans have long considered Ile-Ife, about 200 miles west of Igbo
Ukwu in southwestern Nigeria, the cradle of Yoruba civilization, the
place where the gods Oduduwa and Obatala created earth and its
peoples. Tradition also names Oduduwa the first oni(ruler) of Ile-Ife
and the ancestor of all Yoruba kings.
IFE KINGIfe artists often portrayed their sacred kings in sculp-
ture. One of the most impressive examples is a statuette (FIG. 15-6),
cast in a zinc-brass alloy, datable to the 11th or 12th century. This
and many similar representations of Ife rulers are exceptional in
Africa because of their naturalism in recording facial features and
fleshy anatomy (see “Idealized Naturalism at Ile-Ife,” page 398). The
naturalism does not extend to body proportions, however. The head
of the statue, for example, is disproportionately large. For modern
Yoruba, the head is the locus of wisdom, destiny, and the essence of
being, and these ideas probably developed at least 800 years ago, ac-
counting for the emphasis on the head in Ife statuary. Indicating that
the man portrayed was a sacred ruler was also a priority, and the
sculptor of the statue illustrated here accurately recorded the precise
details of the heavily beaded costume, crown, and jewelry.Djenne and Lalibela
The inland floodplain of the Niger River was for the African continent
a kind of “fertile crescent,” analogous to that of ancient Mesopotamia
(see Chapter 2). By about 800, a walled town, Djenne in present-day
Mali, had been built on high ground left dry during the flooding sea-
son. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of many specialist work-
shops of blacksmiths, sculptors, potters, and other artisans.
DJENNE TERRACOTTASHundreds of accomplished, con-
fidently modeled terracotta sculptures, most dating to between 1100
and 1500, have been found at numerous sites in the Djenne region.
Production tapered off sharply with the arrival of Islam. Unfortu-
nately, as is true of the Nok terracottas, the vast majority of these
sculptures came from illegal excavations, and contextual information
about them has been destroyed. The subject matter includes equestri-
ans, male and female couples, people with what some scholars inter-
pret as lesions and swellings, and snake-entwined figures. There are
seated, reclining, kneeling, and standing human figures. Some wear
elaborate jewelry, but many are without adornment. The range of
subjects and postures is extraordinary at this date.
The terracotta figure illustrated here (FIG. 15-7) dates to the
13th to 15th centuries and represents a Djenne warrior with a quiver
of arrows on his back and knives strapped to his left arm. The pro-
portions of the figure present a striking contrast to those from Ile-Ife
(FIG. 15-6). The Djenne archer is thin and tall with tubular limbs and
an elongated head with a prominent chin, bulging eyes, and large
nose—characteristic features of Djenne style.1 in.15-6BSeated
man, Tada, 13th
to 14th century.
15-6AHead of
an Ife king, 12th
to 13th century.