Customer Reviews

Africa and the Renaissance: Art in Ivory

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What was the earliest "instance of cross-cultural interaction between Europeans and West Africans?" The production of ivories for European patrons in the 15th century. And yes, it was BEFORE the massive and EVIL slave trade.

Known as the Afro-Portuguese Ivories, these pieces went to Portugal, and were created for wealthy patrons who often sent models of items that they wanted to be reproduced in ivory to African artists. Examples included: coats of arms, salt cellars, hunting scenes, religious subjects, oliphants, weapons, forks & spoons, and pyxes.

This catalogue gives an in depth, scholarly examination of the major groups who produced these MAGNIFICENT pieces, the intermingling of styles and how they came about, the European perceptions of Black Africans in the Renaissance, and the similarities between the TWO groups (an eye opener!!). 203 MASTERPIECES grace the 255 pages, in both color and black & white photographs.

I cannot imagine anyone who is interested in African Art & History NOT wanting to find this GORGEOUS book, or better still, BEGGING Prestel Publishers ( who ALWAYS put out EXCELLENT African Art books) to reprint it. In fact, ANYONE who is interested in a FULLER picture of the Renaissance would find this book to be a great treasure!