An adjacent small-scale bronze bust of an African child, also from early Byzantine Egypt, cements the reach of African Byzantium, which included some Black Africans. Accented by text, geometric patterns, floral motifs and pottery, the painted and sculpted faces of Africa & Byzantium offer sympathetic connections. In much of Western scholarship, Medieval Ethiopian works were considered exceptional in their Africanity for their association with Mediterranean conventions. The exhibition might more aptly be called “Byzantium & Africa” for its omission of these concerns. Especially given the lack of the Met’s African art collection during the Rockefeller Wing’s renovation, Africa & Byzantium does a lot of work for the museum.
