A richly illustrated survey of traditional African art, examining masks, pottery, bronze, ivory, gold, ancestral figures, reliquaries and jewelry from aesthetic and ethnological perspectives. The book presents a broad survey of the artistic traditions of Black Africa, with particular attention to masks, sculpture and jewelry. Laure Meyer discusses objects made from wood, bronze, ivory, gold, terracotta and other materials, including ancestral figures, reliquaries, ritual objects and ornaments. The works are considered both for their visual qualities and within their cultural and ethnological contexts. Particular attention is given to the relationship between mythology, ritual, social organization and artistic creation among numerous African peoples. The book is extensively illustrated and includes examples from regions and cultures including Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Zaire. (AI-generated content description)