WaveGameJay

Grandes Chroniques de France [Royal MS G VI]

f. 168v, Charlemagne besieging Agolant in Agen (Charlemagne, book 4, 4) and f. 167r, f. 167r. Agolant and his Moors attack a castle (Charlemagne, book 4, 3).

France (1332-1350)

Parchment codex; 390 x 280 mm (text space: 255 x 190 mm).

Anonymous French Artist (formerly att. Luca della Robia)

Portrait Bust

France (1400-1600)

Glazed polychromed faïence, 48 cm.

The Image of the Black in Western Art Research Project and Photo Archive, W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research, Harvard University

Wow!!!!!

Apparently, there’s a fair amount of confusion over the dating of this image, but It’s definitely pre-1600s. TheRoot.com did a brief article on this amazing portrait bust:

As early as the 15th century, black people were imported from Africa to Europe. Their fate there was considerably different from that of the multitudes of slaves brought to the New World to perform agricultural labor. Often, blacks in Europe were at least nominally free and were considered to be servants rather than slaves.