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Portraits of African Leadership

• 
  Figure, 19th–20th century
  Bangwa peoples; Cameroon
  Wood, pigment, encrustation, fiber; H. 40 1/4 in. (102.2 cm)
  The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1968 (1978.412.576)
  
• 
  Standing Male and Female Figures, 18th–19th century
  Democratic Republic of Congo; Tabwa
  Wood, beads; H. 18 7/32 in. (46.28 cm), H. 18 1/2 in. (47 cm)
  The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1969 (1978.412.591,2)
  
• 
  Silver Buffalo and Elephant, 19th century
  Republic of Benin; Fon
  Silver-copper alloy, brass, copper, and iron; Each H. 12 in. (30.5 cm)
  Gift of Anne d'Harnoncourt and Joseph Rishel, in memory of Rene and Sarah Carr d'Harnoncourt and Nelson A. Rockefeller, 2002 (2002.517.1-2)
  
• 
  Seated Male Figure, 19th–20th century
  Democratic Republic of Congo; Kongo, Yombe
  Wood, glass, metal, kaolin; H. 11 1/2 in. (29.21 cm)
  Purchase, Louis V. Bell Fund, Mildred Vander Poel Becker Bequest, Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat Gift, and Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1996 (1996.281)
  
• 
  Oba with Animals, 18th–19th century
  Nigeria; Edo peoples, court of Benin
  Brass; H. 4 7/8 in. (12.38 cm)
  Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Klaus G. Perls, 1991 (1991.17.113)
  
  Altar to the Hand (Ikegobo) of Ezomo Ehenua, 18th–19th century
  Nigeria; Edo peoples; court of Benin
  Brass; H. 13 in. (33.02 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1996 (1996.11)
  

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In Africa, sculptural depictions of rulers and ancestral heroes have served a variety of political and spiritual functions. Passed down along dynastic lines or commissioned by current rulers, such images were often displayed as evidence of pedigree to justify and consolidate power, and sometimes served as conduits for communication between the ancestors and their living successors. Rulers often utilized the medium of portraiture to present themselves to their subjects, frequently in idealized terms that conveyed their physical, intellectual, and spiritual superiority. Often the very act of commissioning a portrait was an indication of the ruler's power and dynastic legitimacy that demonstrated the individual's control over important economic and artistic resources. In some political traditions, it also showed that a ruler had undergone ritual processes of investiture that revealed his or her underlying character and ultimate destiny—features that could then be realized in visual form. Some types of portraiture were not figural at all but evoked the subject metaphorically by portraying a set of personal attributes in visual form.

Often the very act of commissioning a portrait was an indication of the ruler's power and dynastic legitimacy.

Related

Timelines (6)

• Central Africa, 1600–1800 a.d.
• Central Africa, 1800–1900 a.d.
• Central Africa, 1900 a.d.–present
• Eastern Africa, 1900 a.d.–present
• Guinea Coast, 1600–1800 a.d.
• Guinea Coast, 1800–1900 a.d.

Primary Thematic Essays (7)

• Ana Nzinga: Queen of Ndongo
• Dona Beatriz: Kongo Prophet
• Idia: The First Queen Mother of Benin
• Political African Women of the Sixteenth, Seventeenth, and Eighteenth Centuries
• Portraits of African Leadership: Living Rulers
• Portraits of African Leadership: Memorials
• Portraits of African Leadership: Royal Ancestors

Other Thematic Essays (6)

• African Influences in Modern Art
• Kongo Ivories
• Origins and Empire: the Benin, Owo,and Ijebu Kingdoms
• Trade Relations Among European and African Nations
• Tutsi Basketry
• Ways of Recording African History

Maps (2)

• Africa, 1600-1800 A.D.
• World, 1600-1800 A.D.

Index Terms (12)

Art Movement/Style

• Baga Peoples of Western Africa
• Boki Peoples of Western Africa
• Bozo Peoples of Western Africa
• Ejagham Peoples of Western Africa
• The Republic of Benin [Fon] of Western Africa

Geography/Place

• Central Africa
• Guinea Coast

Object

• Regalia

Subject Matter/Theme

• Ruler
• Mourning
• Portrait Sculpture
• Portrait Sculpture from Africa and Egypt

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Alexander Ives Bortolot Department of Art History and Archaeology, Columbia University

Citation Bortolot, Alexander Ives. "Portraits of African Leadership". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/aprt/hd_aprt.htm (October 2003) Further Reading Borgatti, Jean M., and Richard Brilliant Likeness and Beyond: Portraits from Africa and the World. Exhibition catalogue.. New York: Center for African Art, 1990. Related exhibitions and online features Special Exhibitions (including upcoming, current, and past exhibitions)

These related Museum Bulletin or Journal articles may or may not represent the most current scholarship. Newton, Douglas "The Art of Africa, the Pacific Islands, and the Americas: A New Perspective." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 39, no. 2 (Fall, 1981). JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs "Director’s Note" PDF