Artifacts from Africa, a continent of diverse cultures, ancient kingdoms, and artistic innovation spanning millennia.
A nursing woman bends toward her child, offering nourishment and protection. Yet beneath this seemingly simple motif lies a dense network of ideas about ancestry, knowledge, and what it means to become fully human within Senufo society in West Africa.
This elaborate wooden chairserved as a powerful symbol of authority for Chokwe supreme chiefs. What makes this particular example especially remarkable is its extraordinary decoration: over 40 intricately carved figures arranged in complex scenes.
This small double-sided votive relief, also known as a sculptor's trial piece or model, is a finely carved limestone flake (ostracon) from ancient Egypt during the Ptolemaic dynasty (305–30 BCE).
Despite its modest size, the figure of a man offers a vivid entry point into Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife, where images were not merely symbolic but actively participated in ensuring eternal existence.
A woman named Akua, struggling with infertility, sought guidance from a priest who instructed her to commission a wooden figurine of a girl.
The Yoruba Style Helmet is tied to the secretive Oro association, whose masquerades were rarely seen by outsiders, adding an air of mystery.
In ancient Egypt, stelae ensured the deceased’s memory and sustenance in the afterlife through offerings of bread, beer, and meat. This one, dedicated to Pasherienimhotep is a well preserved gem.
A boxwood paint box from Egypt’s New Kingdom, inlaid with Egyptian blue, crafted for Vizier Amenemope’s artistic pursuits.
A travertine canopic jar from 664–525 BCE, topped with a falcon-headed lid symbolizing Qebehsenuef, crafted to safeguard intestines for the Egyptian afterlife.