Nzinga was a figure whose name I recognized but I didn’t know too much about - a kind follower gave me some tips on working on her and some great information on Angolan culture. This portrait is a version done by Achille Deveria which is based on original drawings completed by Giovanni Cavazzi during his travels to Portguese Angola. The portrait looks pretty normal, but with it being a copy of an original (and then also colorized), I discovered some quirks that made it difficult to work from. The face is painted at a strange angle to the neck, and the nose and mouth are painted from almost two different perspectives. It was a challenge to correct for those inconsistencies and also make it look just like her/the portrait, but a really fun creation!
Nzinga was the Queen of the Kingdom of Ndongo and the Kingdom of Matamba in the 17th century, in the area of modern-day Angola. Born into the ruling family in 1583, her father trained her in military and political tactics from a young age. While her older brother was ruling the Kingdoms, he asked Nzinga to become the ambassador to Portugal for him, as the Portuguese had begun to colonize and infringe on their native area. When Nzinga assumed power over the kingdoms after her brother died, it was during a period of unprecedented growth in the African slave trade. The Portuguese continued to agitate and break treaties, taking slaves and other valuables. Nzinga was an astute and super-intelligent leader and often bent the allegiances of the Europeans to her advantage. Forging an alliance with the Dutch, she was able to defeat the Portuguese and drive them out. She also made her kingdom a safe haven for runaway slaves. Her reign lasted 37 years - she is considered a legendary figure in Angola to this day. For more, I really enjoyed the Nzinga episode of The History Chicks Podcast.
Left Portrait: Public Domain, Right Portrait base: iStock photo.
