I. Unit of Study:                                  West African Brass Plaque Sculptures and

Ivory                                                                      

Object Carvings from the 16th and 17th Centuries

II. Lesson Title/Length of Time:       The Influence of Portugal on West African Art from 

 the 16th and 17th Centuries
                                                           
3 days (90-minute periods)

III. Author/County:                            Jonathan Parker

Frederick County, MD

IV. Grade Level/Subject Area(s):     Visual Arts, 8th Grade

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V. Abstract

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Portugal's navigational improvements, such as more accurate maps and the caravel ship, allowed the Portuguese to reach far away lands such as Brazil, Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, China, and Japan.  This cultural exchange between the Portuguese and the previously mentioned cultures created new and different forms of sculpture, ceramics, dance, and music. The purpose of this lesson is to give students a general knowledge of Portugal's “Age of Discovery.” The main focus of this lesson is presenting students with the visual evidence of how West African art from the Sapi and Benin people was altered by their contact with the Portuguese.

VI. Background

The students have previously been shown various techniques of creating a sculpture. Following this lesson will be a project dealing with pattern, shape, and texture. The textiles from several African groups such as the Adinkra, Kongo, and the Kuba will be shown.

VII. Materials

• 2 rolls of metal embossing foil

VIII. Standards/Learner Outcomes

Maryland State Department of Education: Visual Art Outcomes

• Visual Art Outcome II: Historical, Cultural, and Social Context: The student will demonstrate an understanding of visual art as a basic aspect of the human experience.

• Expectation A: The student will describe how art expresses ideas, events, and universal themes by comparing artworks from various cultures.

• Visual Art Outcome III: Creative Expression and Production: The student will demonstrate the ability to organize knowledge and ideas for expression in the production of art.

• Expectation A: The student will apply appropriate tools, materials, processes, and techniques to solve specific art problems.

IX. Objectives

The students will be able to:

1. Understand the historical significance of the period of the 16th and 17th centuries known as Portugal's "Age of Discovery."

2. Learn about how the development of maps and the caravel ship came together to allow the Portuguese to reach continents great distances away.

3. See how the arrival of the Portuguese in Africa changed some of the visual imagery found in ivory objects made by the Sapi people and also the brass relief sculptures of the Benin people.

4. Create an embossed image on metal foil using the idea of a plaque or make a clay caravel ship. Students may also choose to represent the ship on the embossing.

X. Vocabulary

• Age of Discovery

• Cartography

• Missionaries

• Merchants

• Armillary sphere

• Navigation

• Caravel

• Trade

• Slavery

• Cultural exchange

• Ivory

• Geographical Vocabulary:

• Portugal
• Africa
• India
• Sri Lanka
• Indonesia
• China
• Brazil
• Japan
• Indian Ocean

• Art Vocabulary:

• Texture
• Relief
• Abstraction
• Pattern
• Line
• Shape

XI. Motivation

Warm Up: Students will view  a world map and locate all of the areas pertinent to our discussion. The areas will be marked by a color pencil or highlighter.

XII. Scope and Sequence

The teacher will:

1. Describe what is meant by the term "Age of Discovery," and discuss the word "discovery" as a concept.

2. Read a selection about the "Age of Discovery" and the Portuguese explorers, Prince Henry the Navigator, Bartholomew Dias, and Vasco de Gama from the Social Studies book Human Heritage: A World History.

3. Guide the students through a reading of the pamphlet from the Smithsonian Institution's exhibition, “Encompassing the Globe: Portugal and the World in the 16th and 17th Centuries.”

4. Show examples of Sapi-Portuguese ivory carvings and Bini-Portuguese brass plaques. Students will be asked to respond to what they see in writing and verbally. The students will do a compare and contrast chart to develop a more formal method of stating similarities and differences.

5. Guide the students through a reading about historical information about 16th and 17th-century West African sculpture.

6. Demonstrate how to create a preliminary drawing for their embossing.

7. Demonstrate how to create an embossing on metal.  Directions for the embossing:

a. Place the art emboss metal sheet on a soft surface or rubber mat.

b. Trace or draw an original design onto sheet.

c. Lightly trace pattern onto metal with fine point stylus.

d. For a "puffy" design, flip metal over and re-trace around lines several times.

e. Emboss into puffy areas using blending stump or eraser end of pencil to achieve depth.

8. Distribute materials to begin the project.

9. Play West African and Portuguese music to set the mood during the duration of the lesson.

Guided Practice: The teacher will demonstrate how to create the composition for the design for the embossing using pencil. The students will create drawings showing their designs for their own embossing.

XIII. Assessment

The students will write a one-page essay on one of the following topics:

1. What is another term that can be used instead of the term "discovery" as it relates to explorers find distant lands that are already inhabited? Give an another example of an explorer finding a place already occupied?

2. Is it morally correct or good for one country to colonize another to obtain its precious resources (gold, silver, diamonds, spices, plants, trees, or oil)?

 
The student will also grade their artwork using the rubric scale provided by our school system.

XIV. Bibliography

• Greenblatt, Miriam and Peter Lemmo. Human Heritage: A World History. Ohio: Glencoe, 1995.

• Kreamer, Christine. African Visions: The Walt Disney Tishman African Art Collection.  Munich, Berlin, London, and New York: Prestel, 2007.

• Stepan, Peter. World Art. Africa, Munich, London, and New York: Prestel, 2001.