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aicafricanart.bsky.social
AIC: African Art (Bot)
@aicafricanart.bsky.social
220 followers 3 following 2.3K posts
Sharing artworks from the Art Institute of African Art department. Automated thanks to @andreitr.bsky.social and @botfrens.bsky.social
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aicafricanart.bsky.social
Scarab: Scarab Beetle with Sun Disc https://www.artic.edu/artworks/134221/
Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson
December 8, 2025 at 7:50 PM
aicafricanart.bsky.social
Amulet of Thoth https://www.artic.edu/artworks/140735/
Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson
December 8, 2025 at 4:10 PM
aicafricanart.bsky.social
Scarab: Wish Formula https://www.artic.edu/artworks/134299/
Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson
December 8, 2025 at 11:56 AM
aicafricanart.bsky.social
Stamp for Adinkra Textile https://www.artic.edu/artworks/193441/
Gift of Doran H. Ross
December 8, 2025 at 8:57 AM
aicafricanart.bsky.social
Amulet of the God Bes https://www.artic.edu/artworks/140892/
Gift of Henry H. Getty, Charles L. Hutchinson, Norman W. Harris, and Robert H. Fleming
December 7, 2025 at 7:33 PM
aicafricanart.bsky.social
Coffin of Nesi-pa-her-hat https://www.artic.edu/artworks/248557/
Gift of Henry H. Getty, Charles L. Hutchinson, Robert H. Fleming, and Norman W. Harris
December 7, 2025 at 2:12 PM
aicafricanart.bsky.social
Plaque Amulet with the Name of the God Ptah https://www.artic.edu/artworks/135873/
Gift of Charles L. Hutchinson, Henry H. Getty, and Norman W. Harris
December 7, 2025 at 12:21 PM
aicafricanart.bsky.social
Ritual Head https://www.artic.edu/artworks/152859/
This male ritual head bears the crossed coiffure and regal, elongated face with arched brows and almond-shaped eyes that are characteristic of Hemba sculpture. The fur attached to the base of this sculpture is not original. This sculpture was possibly once kept in a basket or gourd and would have been used by the head of the clan to foster communication between the living and the ancestral realm.—Permanent Collection Object Description Gift of Anne Reisse Whipple and Jay Whipple in memory of Wilbur Tuggle
December 7, 2025 at 10:00 AM
aicafricanart.bsky.social
Scarab: Winged Scarab Beetle with Hieroglyphs https://www.artic.edu/artworks/134281/
Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson
December 6, 2025 at 7:54 PM
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Water or Storage Container https://www.artic.edu/artworks/185695/
Hausa potters use a convex mold to shape the base of their pots, adding coils to complete the form. On this large and handsome container, a dimpled line indicates the seam where coils began to be joined with the molded lower half.Hausa potter is often noted for its straightforward, relatively unadorned appearance. A potter’s subtle finesse becomes evident in the volumes and proportions of his or her work, as here in the slight bowing of the columnar neck and its relationship to the rounded base. These forms are complemented by understated embellishment: spiraling, diagonal lines were applied by roulette at the shoulder, and a band of round indentations were impressed with the pad of a finger where base and neck meet. The container’s tall neck is scored with vertical grooves, the result of vigorous burnishing with a string of baobab seeds. Shorter burnishing lines also mark the body. This action heightened the red color of the slip that was applied to the vessel before firing.The nicks and abrasions that mark the surface bear witness to its many years of use. It is reportedly from Niger and may have served as a water container, possibly in a mosque, where it would have held water for washing before prayer. Similar vessels are also used to store grain or other staples. Gift of Keith Achepohl
December 6, 2025 at 4:24 PM
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Amulet of the God Anubis wearing Atef Crown https://www.artic.edu/artworks/140850/
Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson
December 6, 2025 at 1:29 PM
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Amulet of the Goddess Tawaret (Thoeris) in Profile https://www.artic.edu/artworks/141160/
The Art Institute of Chicago
December 6, 2025 at 11:20 AM
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Fragment of a Floral Inlay https://www.artic.edu/artworks/67956/
Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson
December 6, 2025 at 8:07 AM
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Face Mask (Agbogho Mmuo) https://www.artic.edu/artworks/158949/
The facial features and extravagant hairstyles of white-faced maiden masks evoke an ideal of youthful feminine beauty. The color white is associated with purity. Worn by men dressed in colorful appliquéd bodysuits, such spirit masks appear in groups at the annual Fame of Maidens festival and at funerals of respected elders, where they honor the deceased, entertain the public, and reiterate traditional values. Cora Abrahamson, Gladys N. Anderson, Harriett A. Fox, and Simeon B. Williams endowments
December 5, 2025 at 7:14 PM
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Storage Container https://www.artic.edu/artworks/189623/
These tall cylindrical storage containers are like miniature granaries in both form and function, and may be found lined up in rows in the kitchens of homes. They hold the life-sustaining grains—primarily millet, sorghum, and corn—that are grown in the short rainy season of the arid western Sahel region from June until September. Such vessels also safeguard personal valuables. This three-legged example is embellished with patterns that mimic traditional scarifications upon the belly of a Kurumba mother. Gift of Keith Achepohl
December 5, 2025 at 3:14 PM
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Equestrian and Four Figures https://www.artic.edu/artworks/189597/
Ada Turnbull Hertle Endowment
December 5, 2025 at 2:53 PM
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Bust of a Man https://www.artic.edu/artworks/64376/
W. Moses Willner Fund
December 5, 2025 at 10:39 AM
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Goldweight Depicting a Pyramid https://www.artic.edu/artworks/55201/
Brass-cast gold weights were used to measure gold dust, the local currency in the Akan-speaking regions of southern Ghana and the Ivory Coast between the 15th and 20th centuries. The gold weights—made of a copper alloy—enabled merchants to carry out trade in towns of the west African Sahel, North Africa, and later, with the Portuguese and the Dutch. The designs of gold weights are incredibly diverse—consisting of simple geometric designs in either high or low relief to representational sculptural forms based on items essential to West African life. This weight is cast in the shape of a pyramid formed by four concentric rectangles stacked on top of one another and is hollow at the bottom. It was cast using the lost-wax technique. –Permanent Collection Object Description Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Gottlieb
December 5, 2025 at 10:08 AM
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Amulet of Tyet (Isis Knot) https://www.artic.edu/artworks/135862/
Gift of Charles L. Hutchinson, Henry H. Getty, and Norman W. Harris
December 4, 2025 at 6:47 PM
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Storage-Rack Panel with Figures and Animals https://www.artic.edu/artworks/198710/
Born into a family of carvers, Ntzinyanga Qwabe is well known for sculpting panels for the racks used in a Zulu homestead for storing rolled grass mats or draping blankets. He applied the traditional pokerwork technique (using a heated poker to decorate wood with burn marks) to depict people and scenes of Zulu life on these panels. One presents a cattle kraal (corral) and a seated chief meeting with a group of men. Produced in the first half of the 20th century, Qwabe’s work captured the attention of white South Africans at a time when rural life was undergoing significant change. Despite the restrictive format, Qwabe’s compositions suggest depth and movement through figures that overlap as well as vary in their scale and position. Contemporary visual sources such as cigarette cards and photographs may have informed his style. Restricted gift of Cynthia and Terry E. Perucca and Marshall Field
December 4, 2025 at 3:15 PM
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Scaraboid: Calf (?) https://www.artic.edu/artworks/134505/
Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson
December 4, 2025 at 11:11 AM
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Amulet of the God Horus https://www.artic.edu/artworks/119233/
Gift of Henry H. Getty, Charles L. Hutchinson, and Norman W. Harris
December 4, 2025 at 9:16 AM
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Amulet of a Vulture https://www.artic.edu/artworks/136236/
Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson
December 3, 2025 at 7:46 PM
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Vessel for Serving Beer https://www.artic.edu/artworks/230308/
Gift of Donald Young and Shirley Weese Young
December 3, 2025 at 3:28 PM
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Male Figure https://www.artic.edu/artworks/155962/
Though the Ijo describe forest spirits as hideous and volatile, in sculpture they are rendered as invincible warriors with wide-eyed stares and bare teeth. This elongated figure may have held a weapon in its missing hand. A large medicine gourd hangs from his neck. The white and red pigments applied to its surface symbolize the contrast of coolness and aggression, respectively. Such spirit figures were placed on altars dedicated to clan war gods where rituals were performed. Gift of Richard Faletti, the Faletti Family Collection
December 3, 2025 at 11:33 AM