On Wednesday 28 February, twenty-two members of the Northern Branch were treated to a guided tour of the University of Pretoria Museums’ Mapungubwe Collections. The tour was ably led by Steven Matsobane, a PhD candidate at the University of Pretoria, who took members through the five components of the exhibition. 

The tour started in the Mapungubwe Gallery, located in the stunning Old Arts building, designed in 1910 by Percey Eagle, Acting Chief Architect of the Public Works Department. The Gallery houses some of the ceramics and clay figurines recovered from over 80 years of intermittent excavations at Mapungubwe Hill and K2. It is lined with information boards that give visitors insight into this early African civilization that flourished along the banks of the Limpopo River in the 13th Century. 

Mapungubwe is one of the best-known archaeological sites in South Africa, lending its name to one of the highest national civilian orders of merit – for outstanding achievement. The civilization that briefly flourished at Mapungubwe saw an unprecedented expansion of wealth, derived through trade with Arab merchants along the east coast. It was also here that the concept of sacred leadership, later exemplified at Great Zimbabwe, is thought to have developed. 

From the Mapungubwe Gallery, we moved to the south wing of the Old Arts building, where the Corobrik Collection of nearly 300 contemporary ceramic vessels was on display. An assortment of artists’ work ranges from beautifully ornate vases to sculptured faces. At the entrance to the gallery, we were shown a short documentary video of one of the local potters, Nic Sithole, whose knowledge of ceramic technique has been passed down to him from his maternal grandmother. Some of his vases, while stunning to behold, are quite unusual in their decorative intricacy. 

Next was a visit to the Old Merensky Library (itself a building with an interesting architectural history) and the Sculpture Gallery, which houses diverse sculptures. Among the items on display, the realist works of Anton van Wouw and Eduardo Villa contrast starkly with the more abstract representations of Willem Boshoff. An enormous painting by Alexis Preller, titled Discovery, the largest in the UP Museums, is also on display here.  

Finally, Steven walked us over to the barely-four-year-old Javett-UP Art Centre, where the pièce de resistance, the spectacular gold artefacts from Mapungubwe, are now on permanent display. Entering a darkened, air-conditioned room, we met with the brilliantly illuminated gold artefacts, most of which originate from the royal burials on top of Mapungubwe Hill. This dazzling display of finely crafted gold work awed most of the members. Although these items have been the subject of countless illustrations, it is quite something to see them up close and in person. 

Descending a flight of stairs, we moved into the temporary Ashanti Barbier-Mueller Gold of Africa exhibit. Although much younger than the items from Mapungubwe, this collection is of equal grandeur. Slightly darker and less brilliant than the Mapungubwe gold (a consequence of different casting techniques), it comprises numerous gold forms, from a catfish to a pangolin, from a crown to some rather heavy sandals.

The tour highlighted the depth and beauty of African artwork and creativity, both in the past and in the present. 

Report and photographs by Justin Bradfield.