Afro-Portuguese Olifants with hunting scenes (c. 1490- c. 1540)

Bibliographic Data

ID9358635
AuthorsLuís Urbano Afonso (0000-0002-9394-8954, corresponding author), José Da Silva Horta (0000-0002-5261-0850)
Year2013
Volume15
Issue1
Pages79-97
Publication date2013-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueMande Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1536-5506 • E-ISSN: 2379-5506
PublisherIndiana University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2979/mnd.2013.a873586
OpenAlexW2345249026
LanguageEN
Citations received5

Afro-Portuguese Olifants with hunting scenes (c. 1490- c. 1540)* Luis U. Afonso and José da Silva Horta ThisLeoascenesarticleca.derived1490-1530,studiesfromSapi-PortugueseEuropeantheyarevisualimportantivorymodels.historicalolifantsProducedevidencecarvedinSerrawithof scenesderivedfromEuropeanvisualmodels.ProducedinSerra Leoaca.1490-1530,theyareimportanthistoricalevidenceof artisticandculturalinteractionbetweenPortugalandthe societies of the Guinea Coast at a moment when those relations were relatively symmetrical. The composition and decoration of the olifants are analyzed from the European side. The circulation of visual models for the works is discusssed, emphasizing similarities to some engravings and to some Manueline silver. Finally, the paper discusses the role of these ivories in establishing the identity of European aristocracy of theperiod. Most likely the Afro-Portuguese ivories that we know constitute only a small part of the objects produced during the period under consideration. These pieces, almost all of which were clearly intended for export, must have been less numerous than those destined for local consumption.1 Bearing in mind that our principal concern in this study lies in the interaction between African and European art, especially in the use and adaptation of European visual models by African artists, we here limit our analysis of a group of works clearly, by their appearance, produced for export from Serra Leoa, and we refer to these works as Sapi-Portuguese.2 These pieces make use of iconographie elements pertaining to European visual culture, which they combine with typologies and forms that are typically African. These works ingeniously resolve certain complex problems, such as adapting two-dimensional rectangular compositions to cylindrical *A version of this article was originally published in Portuguese in the journal Artis, volume 1, 2013, pp. 20-29. Mande Studies is grateful to Artis, and to the Editor, Professor Vitor Serrão of the University of Lisbon, for kindly agreeing to allow publication of this English version of that essay. The following paper is the first official publication produced by the working group, "Marfins," based in the Departments of History and History of Art, at the University of Lisbon. Translation by Peter Mark. MandeStudies 15 (2013)pp. 79-97 80 Luís U. Afonso and José da Silva Horta surfaces worked in low relief, as well as the integration ofheraldic symbols into compositions for which they were not originally intended. These pieces even refer to compositions that themselves are more characteristic of late Gothic art, in which the scrolls are used as frames for rectangular, flat surfaces. Above all, these images represent hunting scenes, whose fauna derives from Europe, namely stags with long antlers, deer, wild boars, and rabbits, as well as hunting dogs and horses with riders. The clothes and the physiognomy of the hunters as well as their weapons are also clearly European, though worked with a plastic sense and associated conventions of the African artists. Frequently, these works3 incorporate heraldry and other insignia of the Portuguese crown, with emphasis on the reign of D. Manuel (14951521 ).The royal Portuguese coat of arms is especially salient, along with the cross of the Order of Christ, and the armillary sphere. A few pieces include short inscriptions in Portuguese, such as an oliphant inscribed "ImfamtedomLuis"(1506-1555)sonofKing Manuel4 [figure 1]. Besides hunting scenes, some of the works incorporate fantastical figures derived from a European imaginary, such as wild men, dragons, harpies, unicorns and centaurs, as well as exotic African animals: elephants, lions, ihinoceri. The many pieces with Portuguese royal emblems likely reflect specific orders/commands on the part of the Crown, initiated by merchants or representatives of the Court. The aim was to enoble the monarch and, in this way, to ensure favorable opportunities for commerce. This type of decoration, especially the themes, forms and compositions, is present on late medieval gilt silver salvers as well as in book engravings. The Sapi-Portuguese horns with hunting scenes also correspond with the taste of the Portuguese elite, as they present a combination of themes and attributes that were dear to the culture of the nobility and the upper bourgeoisie. Documents attest to the export of African ivories directly to Portugal as early as the second half of the fifteenth century, while the exploration of the West African coast was still underway.5 Ivory exports began as soon as contact was established with Serra Leoa, a

Aesthetics · Aristocracy (class · Art · Geography · Identity (music · Linguistics · Political science · Portuguese · African history and culture studies · Colonialism, slavery, and trade · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories · History · Law · Philosophy

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