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The artists of Ife developed a refined and highly naturalistic sculptural tradition in stone, terracotta, brass and copper and created a style unlike anything in Africa at the time. The technical sophistication of the casting process is matched by the artworks’ enduring beauty.The artists of Ife developed a refined and highly naturalistic sculptural tradition in stone, terracotta,
Brass – Wikipedia
and created a style unlike anything in Africa at the time. The technical sophistication of the casting process is matched by the artworks’ enduring beauty.
What are the typical design characteristics of Ife sculpture?
Ife is most well-known for its bronze sculptures, typically in a naturalistic style . Stone and terra cotta artwork was also common, and leaders were often depicted with large heads to indicate their power.
What is the style of Ife art?
The art-historical importance of Ife works lies in their highly developed and distinctive sculptural style, described alternately as naturalistic, portraitlike, and humanistic. The delicately rendered vertical facial striations that appear on many of the sculptures may represent scarification patterns.
Why is Ife art called court?
THE early Benin art was referred to as “Court Art” hence ”Court Art of Benin” This is because the Oba or King of Benin had a monopoly of the art works, though technically speaking, they are all brass. It could therefore be logically deduced that the Benin people learnt the art of bronze casting from Ife.
Who excavated Ife art works?
In 1910 the German anthropologist Leo Frobenius visited the Nigerian city of Ife and brought several ancient terracotta heads back to Germany. He claimed a Greek colony in Africa produced the incredibly naturalistic sculpture he discovered (Willett 1967: 14).
Why are there holes in the bronze Ife heads near the mouth?
These brass heads differ from the terracotta ones in that they all have holes around the hairline and on their necks, and some have holes on the face. A bead was found in one of the holes, and scholars conclude the holes were used to attach a beaded veil to hide the mouth (Drewal, Schildkrout 2009).
How many Ife heads are there?
Eighteen heads have been found in total, and their stylistic similarities suggest that they were made by an individual artist or in a single workshop. What was life like in medieval Africa? The kingdom of Ife first emerged around AD 800.
What made Ife art so impressive?
Ife is particularly famous today for the magnificent metal sculptures its artists produced which include serene-looking human heads so masterfully crafted that Europeans once wrongly considered them the work of another civilization.
What elements or principles of art does the piece use?
The elements of art are color, form, line, shape, space, and texture. The principles of art are scale, proportion, unity, variety, rhythm, mass, shape, space, balance, volume, perspective, and depth.
What is the oldest art in Nigeria?
The Nok culture is dated to have flourished between the years 2000BC and 300AD, a making it the oldest form of traditional art not just in Nigeria but West Africa.
What is Benin culture?
Benin’s culture is as rich and diverse as its landscape. With strong religious roots to inform most of the traditions, Benin’s culture is certainly one of the most unique and interesting in Africa. As with most clothing in West Africa, the textiles are vibrant and ornately decorated.
What is Ife art culture?
In the period around 1300 C.E. the artists at Ife developed a refined and naturalistic sculptural tradition in terracotta, stone and copper alloy—copper, brass, and bronze—many of which appear to have been created under the patronage of King Obalufon II, the man who today is identified as the Yoruba patron deity of
What is the oldest empire in Nigeria?
The kingdom of Benin is the oldest kingdom in Nigeria. Their dated history which could be traced thousands of years ago made them earn this mark as the most ancient empire in the country.
What is the difference between Ife and Benin?
– apart from bronze, Ife art included terra-cotta and stone while Benin art included ivory and wood. – Ife heads and figures have profuse scarification while Benin heads and masks have marks on their forehead. – Most Benin art works are stylized while Ife art works are naturalistic.
Did the Igbo come from Egypt?
If his name and the collective name for the gods of Egypt, Neter, were Igbo in origin, it implies that an ancient civilization of Igbo extraction existed in West Africa, where the gods, and not men ruled, by at least 22,000 BC; that Egypt was an originally Igbo-speaking civilization and that early Egyptians were Igbos.
What is the king from Ife holding?
He wears the traditional regalia of a king, a beaded crown and necklaces, and holds in his hands a scepter and a medicine horn, the symbols of his power and authority.
Why is the Ife culture so important?
According to the Yoruba worldview, Ife is the place of origin of all humankind and is therefore of particular religious and political importance. Here the deities Odudua and Obatala, under instruction from the creator Olodumare, began the creation of the world.
What is the meaning of Ife?
a male or female given name: from a Yoruba word meaning “love.”
What is Owo art?
Due to Owo’s location between the two famous art centers of Ife and Benin, the site reflects both artistic traditions. Important discoveries include terracotta sculptures dating from the 15th century. The Owo Museum, founded in 1968, houses many of these artifacts.
Where are the Ife heads?
The Bronze Head from Ife, or Ife Head, is one of eighteen copper alloy sculptures that were unearthed in 1938 at Ife in Nigeria, the religious and former royal centre of the Yoruba people. Bronze Head from Ife Created 14th/early 15th century Present location British Museum, London Identification Af1939,34.1.
What is Ile Ife art?
Ife is world famous for its art. Between 700 and 900 A.D. the city began to develop as a major artistic center. By the 12th Century Ife artists were creating bronze, stone, and terracotta sculptures, some of which are found today in museums in Nigeria, Europe, and North America.
When was the IFE head found?
This free-standing brass head cast in the lost wax technique was discovered in 1938 at Wunmonije Compound in Ife, Nigeria.
What is the meaning of Benin art?
Benin art is the art from the Kingdom of Benin or Edo Empire (1440–1897), a pre-colonial African state located in what is now known as the Southern region of Nigeria. This original significance is of great importance in Benin.
