African meanings and European-African discourse
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| Author keywords |
salt cellars, ivory, commerce, Serra Leoa, West Africa, sixteenth century, seventeenth century |
| Abstract |
Ivory vessels or “salt cellars” carved in West Africa during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries reflect communication and commerce between Europeans and Africans. Religious symbolism figures prominently, depicting concepts associated with both Christianity and local Guinea Coast religion. Furthermore, these ivories, produced for export, are also thematically focused on commerce, often in a self-referential manner. In addition to offering a contextualized iconographic interpretation of the ivories from “Serra Leoa,” this chapter articulates a semantic—or at least a syntactical—structure that connects the entire range of visual images and metaphors. |
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