21 The overall brightness is further enhanced by the natural light that comes from the ceiling, which supplements the gallery’s spotlights. A few accent walls are painted ochre colors, ranging from yellow to dark red (fi g. 1). In contrast to the previous installation, which grouped objects according to geographical style region, the current one is arranged thematically in order to address both the humanity of Africans and the diversity of African cultures and visual traditions. There are fi ve themes— governance, the cycle of life, decorative arts and design, trade, and masking—and this article briefl y addresses the contents of each. the Art of GoVernAnCe This theme is presented near the entrance to the Arts of Africa gallery and is led with the installation’s oldest piece from sub-Saharan Africa, a terracotta bearded male bust from the Sokoto State of ancient Nigeria (c. 200 BCE– 200 CE), which faces the Egyptian gallery (fi gs. 2 and 5). The works of art in this section refl ect the elevated status of their owners and tend to be made of durable—and often datable—materials such as hardwood, elephant ivory, gold, bronze, copper alloy (“bronze”), imported cowrie shells, glass beads, and terracotta (fi g. 6), most of which were controlled by the leadership. The kingdoms of Asante, Benin, Luba, Kuba, and Yoruba are represented here. As an example of the breadth of the objects featured, the Asante suite here includes a state sword in a stingray sheath from the 1920s (fi g. 3); a gold-leafed linguist staff from the mid-twentieth century; a cast gold T-shaped bead; and two state sword ornaments, one cast in the form of a spider from the regalia of Kwaku Dua II
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