Object Notes

Yoruba kings appear in public wearing voluminous robes and veiled, cone-shaped crowns (ade) adorned with colorful coral or glass beads. The earliest crowns were made entirely of African red jasper beads.

The Baule are essentially an egalitarian people who live in independent villages and vest authority in "notables." These dignitaries lead a cluster of villages and are distinguished by gold regalia, including crowns, jewelry, handheld objects, flywhisks, and footwear. The regalia may be made of pure gold or wood covered with gold leaf.

Modeled quero forms developed around the middle of the 17th century, representing exclusively feline and human heads. Wear around the rim and body, as well as repairs at the ear, indicate that this feline vessel was actually used.

Modeled quero forms developed around the middle of the 17th century, representing exclusively feline and human heads. The modeled human faces generally represent Antis, individuals from the untamed eastern quarter or Antisuyu, identifiable through their horizontal stripes of face paint.

The ritual consumption of maize beer, or aqha (a’qa) was associated with the agricultural calendar.

The ritual consumption of maize beer, or aqha (a’qa) was associated with the agricultural calendar. The scene on this cup portrays an ox plowing the field, followed by a male and one female who plants seeds and another that holds up a pair of cups, or quero.

Through twenty years of collaborative research, conservators and scholars have determined the materials and techniques used in the production of colonial wooden goblets, or quero. The polychrome surface was made through inlay with a resi

Cindy Sherman's photographs combine narrative allusions with a strong painterly style to express a sense of touching irony. Sherman herself poses for all the large-format color prints, and the guises she assumes are those of women who hover around the edge of experience.