Ivory and Stone: Direct Connections between Sculptural Media along the Coast of Sierra Leone, 15th–16th Centuries

Abstract

Since the discovery of the ancient stone sculptures in Sierra Leone and the assignment of ivory works of art in European collections to the ancient Sapi peoples of Sierra Leone, the question has arisen as to the connection between the two. Where were the workshops of the ivory carvers and the stone carvers, and were they the same? Some of the representational content is identical. Imagery suggests that the carvers of ivory for Portuguese clients were translating imagery from Sapi culture and philosophy, and perhaps directly from the stone carving tradition. Some examples suggest the adoption of Portuguese motifs found on the ivory carvings into the carving of stone. Close stylistic similarities can be seen between the schematic rendering of physiological features, gestures, and posture. The artists who were commissioned to carve in ivory for the Portuguese would have been already highly trained artists among their own people, carving for indigenous people.

Keywords

• Sapi
• art
• statuary
• stone carving
• ivory carving
• style