Treasures of Ancient NigeriaThe magnificent art that is the heritage of Nigeria was, for the first time, presented to the world beyond Nigeria at the "Treasures of Ancient Nigeria - Legacy of Two Thousand Years" exhibit at The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the California Palace of the Legion of Honor from April 27 - June 29, 1980. This book is a record of that exhibit and what it represented. One hundred extraordinary works of art in bronze, terracotta, and ivory - works spanning more than two thousand years, from the fifth century B.C., and representing seven cultures (Nok, Igbo-Ukwu, Ife, Owo, Benin, Tsoede, and Esie) - were selected for exhibition in the United States and are shown here in 137 photographs and plates, 53 in full color. The introduction is by Dr. Ekpo Eyo, Director of Nigeria's Department of Antiquities and head of Nigeria's National Museums, and the interpretive text is by Frank Willett, who taught art and archaeology at Oxford and Northwestern Universities and was formerly an archaeologist for Nigeria's Department of Antiquities and Curator of the Museum of Ife Antiquities. |
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12th/15th century Terracotta 15th century Terracotta 9th/10th century Leaded A.D. 200 Terracotta African Arts ANCIENT NIGERIA animal archaeological ART FRANK WILLETT artists beads Benin art Benin City Benin Empire Benin National Museum bowl bronze casting calabash carving century Leaded bronze century Middle Period ceremonial crown culture decorated Department of Antiquities Detroit Institute early ears Esie excavation exhibition eyes fragment Frobenius hairstyle holes human Ibadan Igbo Isaiah Igbo Laja Igbo-Ukwu National Museum INTRODUCTION EKPO EYO Ita Yemoo ivory Jebba Kenneth Murray King Lafogido Lagos leopards metal motif mouth Nigeria NIGERIAN ART FRANK Nok terracottas nostrils Nupe Oba of Benin Oduduwa Ogboni Olokun opposite Owo National Museum Palace pendant pieces Presumed from Igbo probably radiocarbon dates represented River Niger scarification seated figure shrine snakes staff style stylized Tada terracotta sculptures thermoluminescence date tion traditions Tsoede bronzes vessels wears West African Wunmonije Compound Yelwa Yoruba