Collection
African Art
PEM’s African art collection reflects the continent’s artistic traditions and cultural complexity.
PEM’s collection of art from Africa reflects the creative diversity of the continent.
The objects in this collection represent Africa’s geographic breadth and varied forms of artistic and cultural expression. Embracing the entire continent, it includes works made by artists to serve social, political or spiritual needs within their communities as well as pieces that responded creatively to external patrons. Objects in the collection range in date from the 15th century to the present, with the majority created from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century, a period of tumultuous colonization and rule in Africa.
PEM’s collection of African art is one of the first in the nation and among the first anywhere outside of the African continent. Among its holdings are works brought back by seafaring merchants associated with the East India Marine Society, whose travels took them to the West Coast of Africa and around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.
Highlights from this collection
Ceremonial axe, mid-19th century
Artist (possibly Makonde) near Lake Malawi; Malawi, Mozambique, or Tanzania, Ceremonial axe, mid-19th century. Wood, iron, and glass beads. Gift of Edward D. Ropes, 1859. E6765.
Mask, 1830s or earlier
Grebo or Kru artist near Cape Palmas, Liberia, Mask, 1830s or earlier. Wood, ceramic, iron nails, and pigment. Gift of Dr. George A. Perkins, about 1859. E6764.
Drum, late 19th century
Ga artist in Ghana, Drum, late 19th century. Wood, fiber, animal hide, and pigment. Gift of T. C. W. Nash, 1890. E6756.
Barkcloth, late 19th–early 20th century
Baganda artist in Uganda, Barkcloth, late 19th–early 20th century. Fig tree bark and pigment. Gift of the estate of Mary Brooks, 1941. E23804.
Headrest, mid-19th century
Zulu artist in South Africa, Headrest, mid-19th century. Wood. Transferred to Peabody Essex Museum by the Andover Newton Theological School, 2017. E53566.
West African Outlook, about 2000
Charles Sekano (born 1943, South Africa), West African Outlook, about 2000. Oil pastel on paper. Museum purchase, 2002. E301988.
Figure group, early to mid 19th century
Kongo artist in Loango region, Democratic Republic of the Congo or Republic of the Congo, Figure group, early to mid 19th century. Ivory. Museum purchase, 1917. E16924.
Sensul (Folding icons) in original embossed leather case, 15th-early 16th century
Artist in Ethiopia, Sensul (Folding icons) in original embossed leather case, 15th-early 16th century. Parchment, pigments, and leather. Gift of Charles R. and Elizabeth C. Langmuir, 1979. E67892.
Mwaash aMbooy mask, 19th century
Kuba artist in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mwaash aMbooy mask, 19th century. Raffia, leopard cloth, leopard fur, cowrie shells, and glass beads. Gift of Dr. Charles Goddard Weld, 1910. E14376.
Sowo-wui mask, late 19th–early 20th century
Mende artist in Sierra Leone, Sowo-wui mask, late 19th–early 20th century. Bombax wood. Gift of the estate of Isabel Anderson, 1949. E28249.
Kiti cha enzi (chair of power), early 19th century
Swahili artists in Zanzibar, Kiti cha enzi (chair of power), early 19th century. Wood, bone, and plant fiber. Gift of Elizabeth Williams, Mary Ropes Trumbull, and Ruth Ropes, 1940. E33723.
Finger piano, 19th century
Artist in South Africa, Finger piano, 19th century. Wood, iron, and brass. Museum purchase, made possible by the Anna Pingree Phillips Fund and the Edward Daland Lovejoy Fund, 1979. E62935.
Loans and acquisitions
PEM is committed to providing the broadest possible access to its collection through the loan of objects for educational and scholarly purposes. Learn how to request a loan from the museum’s collection.
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