#sculpture

800 years ago, the city of Mapungubwe was the capital of the first kingdom in southern Africa, which thrived as a sophisticated trading centre from around 1220 to 1290.

Gold ornaments, glass trade beads and other ancient objects discovered in the 1930s led to further investigation by the University of Pretoria. They unearthed a wealth of archaeological material that reflected the life and activities of an advanced society – one which flourished and declined within just 100 years.

The city traded with China, India and Egypt, had a thriving agricultural industry, and may have grown to a population of around 5,000. The city had access to the Limpopo River, which connected the region through trade to other sites along the Indian Ocean.

Mapungubwe is the earliest known site in southern Africa where evidence of a class-based society existed, as the leaders were spatially separated from the rest of the inhabitants. The homes, diet and elaborate burials of the wealthy elite are in stark contrast to those less well-off, who lived at the foot of Mapungubwe and the surrounding plateau.

These gold sculptures, discovered in three royal graves, are among the most iconic in Africa today. They depict animals of high status – an ox, a wild cat and a rhinoceros – and artworks associated with power – a sceptre and a bowl or crown.

These artworks were discovered alongside hundreds of gold objects, including bracelets and beads, at Mapungubwe. Gold was mined in the surrounding regions and traded with the coast as part of a wider international network. The precious metal became a status symbol for the kingdom’s rulers.

Since their discovery, these works have had a fascinating history. Although many pieces of sculpture, including these magnificent examples, were known to exist, they were not included in official histories promoted by the South African state. From 1948 the government introduced laws that enforced a system of racial segregation known as apartheid, meaning ‘separateness’. During this period, the official version of history that was promoted stated that South Africa had been an ‘empty land’ before European settlement in 1652. In fact, these wonderful works are part of an ancient and ongoing  South African art tradition, showing that people existed in South Africa long before European settlement.

See these incredible sculptures in our special exhibition South Africa: the art of a nation (27 October 2016 – 26 February 2017).

Exhibition sponsored by Betsy and Jack Ryan

Logistics partner IAG Cargo

Gold figurines. From Mapungubwe, capital of the first kingdom in southern Africa, c. AD 1250–1290. On loan from Department of UP Arts, University of Pretoria.

that face you make when it’s 12:30am and you’re a toilet paper roll that just got turned into a head and colored with highlighters and sharpies

Pompeii (Italy)