African

made of adobe (clay and straw)

vertical fluting easily drains water

great friday mosque

African

conical tower modeled on traditional shapes of grain silos

walls slope inward toward the top

great zimbabwe

African

high arching eyebrows parallel saggy undereye

Nok head

African

bronze

head emphasized as seat of intelligence

scarification imitates tribal identifications

heavily loaded with jewelery

Ife head

African

around crown are stylized portugeuse heads alternating with mud fish

mudfish represent royalty

on bottom: more stylized heads

Ivory Belt Mask

African

classically refined beauty; idealized naturalism

high collars

bebin head of a woman [benin figures]

African

nails or blades often inserted or removed to prod image into action

Kongo Power Figures

African

wood

female ancestor spirits

used for initiation rights to adulthood

small horizontal features

Mende masks of Sierra Leone