The artwork that I decided to talk about in this week's post is Lidded Saltcellar, between the 15th-16th century. This magnificent piece is made out of ivory and is as tall as 29.8cm high.1This wonderful artwork is made out of ivory which was the main way West Africa could trade during this time, but concluding that artwork, they would sell gold and sometimes enslave people for money. When it came time for them to sell their artworks, such as the salt cellars, many items were purposely made for the Portuguese explorers to buy. Since the Portuguese were so impressed by the remarkable talent, the carvers were about to create ivory, and they would ask the artist to make something special for them. The ivory was carved by a Sapi sculptor who was working in a place now called Sierra Leone. Luckily this artifact is a part of a group of different ivory sculptures created during the earliest exchange between Africans and Europeans. As I never knew this, but the main reason traders bought the ivory was because they were used as souvenirs of their great travels or given as a gift to the European nobles who helped finance their voyages. Since many of the sculptures traveled to European collections, many African origins have been forgotten until recent research came around. These ivory artifacts are now best known as Afro-Portuguese ivories; this name was formed because it reflected on both indigenous African and Renaissance visual elements, embarking both cultures into one. |
| Rose crowns |
So to get into more detail about the sculpture, lets' say it is covered with detail as there is so much detail that it is hard to grasp all of it. First, there is an acorn inside the petals of each four rose crowns that decorate the top of the container. Most of the designs are African, which reflects on the Sapi artistic keenness. At the bottom of the container, there are four figures dressed in local attire. Two of them are warriors who are carrying swords and shields, and the other two are women. Going into more detail about the figures, the artist made sure to make each figure symmetrical to the other two figures. The women clearly distinguish themselves as women. As you can see, they have very detailed breasts, a slim waist, and a delicate figure, which the artist wanted to portray to help determine the different figures. As for the men, their structure is built and tall, as they have to be very strong men to become a warrior in the first place. Above them, four carved snakes drop down towards four dogs, representing an awareness of warning with the dogs having fangs, drawn-back ears, and fur standing up. The amount of detail in the lines, whether it is dots or straight lines that takes a lot of time, then the scales on the snakes and the fur in the dogs must have taken this artist a long time using such fine tools to create this piece. There are enormous amounts of detail in each part of this sculpture that the artist made sure to represent and show off to the upcoming traders.
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| Bottom half of the container |
Over time the Sapi people traveled to other locals, and their traditions transferred to the Baga, which will help provide some guidance with the meaning of this artwork. The importance of the four snakes is associated with magical wealth (in clothing and metal) and danger; they are called Niniganne, who are confronting the dogs. According to their traditions, dogs are considered spiritually clever animals, and they can see spirits and ghosts that aren't visible to humans. This knowledge coincides with Sapi's perceptions of the Portuguese traders. They are mystical in their way, but their unusual attire and flowing hair can be seen to represent the description of Niniganne. Many Portuguese visitors were seen as powerful individuals who could cross the water and bring in riches, which started the trading. They also brought danger to the cities due to the Portuguese king requiring traders to bring back slaves, so the dogs in the ivory sculpture are guarding the four figures from the snakes, who are considered to be the Portuguese. This ivory sculpture is amazing and one of a kind, and it is crazy how long this must have taken the artist to create. I know that if I came across this if I were a trader, I would buy it right away because that is pure talent right there.
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I always love your posts, you always provide so much helpful information about the pieces you talk about. I really like your explanation of the piece, I could see the piece without having to look at a picture. I wonder how much this piece would have been when it was first sold, seeing how detailed it is it must have cost a fortune.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very good post, and you picked a very interesting piece of art. I liked how you described the carvings into the container. It was able to put perspective into the people who made it, and what their intent and belief was behind the piece. I wonder if a similar piece made in modern day Sierra Leon would hold as much cultural significance as one of these older pieces.
ReplyDeleteThis is my first time reading one of your posts and let me just say, WOW, you sure know how to be informative. It was really easy to read and understand what you were saying as if we were having a conversation about the piece. As soon as I read that it was made out of ivory my mind was intrigued. I wonder what the symbolism of the acorn inside rose petals is. But overall, outstanding job.
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