Presentation and Welcome

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In 2013 the project The product, circulation and uses of African ivories in the Atlantic World between 15th and 19th centuries was started, as the result of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and the Lisbon University (UL). In 2015, this project, under coordination of Professors Vanicléia Silva Santos (UFMG) and José Silva Horta (UL) was officially approved.

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In 2016 the project Marfins Africanos no Mundo Atlântico / African Ivories in the Atlantic World was approved by FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology in Portugal. (PTDC/EPH-PAT/1810/2014).

 

The project intends to inaugurate a new field of studies in Brazil, based on three aspects: (I) reavaluate the concepts for ivories studies (which means african ivory, luso- african ivory or afro-brazilian ivory); (II) investigate the production and circulation of African ivories in the Atlantic world between 15th and 19th centuries; and (III) build a database on ivories that arrived in colonial Brazil, in order to identify the types of ivory objects that circulated in Brazil. On the portuguese side, the project has similar objectives.

 

Since 1959, only the segment of “Luso-African ivories” has been object of study and academic interest, because it’s consider one of the first artistic and material expression of modern globalization that justified (and continues to justify) the study of this segment of African ivories. However, this project is the first attempt of studing the general segment of African ivories. In addition this project is based on new data that have been researched in Portugal and Brazil. Which places enphasis on the production and circulation of African ivories in the Atlantic world over much longer period of times.

 

This study will contribute to a better appreciation of the diversity of Africa in therms of ivory production centers and artistic languages used while offering new perspectives to African economic history and culture. There are strong evidences that the circulation of African ivories was related to the movement of goods across the Atlantic and the attention given to other segments of ivory production, in the addition to the Luso-africans, provides a new image of cultural, intellectual and material complexity and diversity of Africans, as a whole. Finally, this study will also provide new information on the diversity of cultural exchange established in different areas of the Atlantic coast of Africa. At the end of this book, readers can see the team’s bibliographic production between 2016 and 2017.

 

In addition to publications, events have been held to disseminate research results.

 

The first seminar “Ivory in the Modern Period – trade, faith, status and collecting” took place on 14th and 15th April in the Espaço do Conhecimento of UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, organized by the center for African Studies at UFMG, the Departments of History / FAFICH and Fine Arts of School of Fine Arts.
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The second event was the “International Colloquium African Ivory: Comerce and Objects in 15th – 18th centuries”, organized by the History Center of Lisbon University, ARTIS-Art History Institute, HERCULES Lab, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Faculty of letters of Lisbon University, on the 15th and 16th of March, 2017.

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And, on days 22th and 23th of May, 2017, at Museu Mineiro will be held the International Research Seminar African Ivories in the Atlantic Space: circulation, manufacture e collecting. This is the third event held in the African Ivory (UFMG and FLUL) and "The production, circulation and use of African ivories in the Atlantic between the 15th and 19th centuries", developed by researches from the Federal University of Minas Gerais and University of Lisbon, University of Evora and University of Wesleyan/ Connecticut/ EUA. The event will also be attended by the special consultants from diferent countries, and will presente partial results of both projects, on the following topics:

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• Comerce and circulation of ivories on Atlantic and Indian spaces

• The Ivory on social african context: uses e customs

• African and Eastern Ivories in Brazil: studies of the imaginary sacred in ivory in the light of cultural dialogues

• The ivory on the brazilian social context: uses and customs
• The religious imagery of ivory in Minas Gerais: confluences of constructive

techniques and iconographic standarts

• Scientific analyses of ivory: contributionsfor the identification of provenance os the pieces of the mining collections

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Great seminar to all,

Vanicléia Silva Santos