African Arts Gallery

Kneeling and supporting the circular tray of a seat, a female figure forms the receptacle of a deceased sovereign leader (Luba, Roberts). The scarifications of the female figure, protruding, on spikes, surround the umbilical, the centre of the world. associated with lineage, and those of the lower abdomen, horizontal, symbolize fertility. This stool named lupona , or kioni or kipona, kiona, according to the sources, constitutes the meeting point of the sovereign, his people, and protective spirits and ancestors, where symbolically and spiritually past and present mingle. It was once the seat on which the king was inducted mulopwe. The seats were arranged on leopard skins at the inauguration of the new leader. It was only after sitting there that his address was royal and divine. Apart ...

African Kanaga mask of the Dogon.
In funeral rites, members of the society Awa , dance with masks on the roof of the house of the dead, to lead his soul (nyama) to its eternal rest and to defend the living. The Kanaga mask is also used to protect hunters from the vengeance of the prey he has killed. This copy is designed according to a recurring structure: a central vertical board with "arms" fixed by leather ties and a mask with angular features. The polychrome pigments were refreshed before each performance. Granular surface. Abrasions.
As a prelude to the funeral or during the mourning rites, many almost identical copies appear on the dance floor, after having circulated through the village's alleys. Depending on the degree of initiation, this mask will not have ...

A wickerwork helmet, on which braided raffia figures the curls of dense hair, adorns this African mask of the Chokwe. This hairstyle is reminiscent of the red earth-coated hairstyle of the Chokwe women. The forehead is delimited by a cowrie shell trim and a headband finely engraved on wood. Large aluminum buckles highlight the finesse of the features. Smooth reddish brown patina. Residual kaolin inlays on the eyes.
Peacefully settled in eastern Angola until the 16th century, the Chokwé were then subjected to the Lunda Empire from which they inherited a new hierarchical system and the sacredness of power. Nevertheless, the Chokwé never fully adopted these new social and political contributions. Three centuries later, the Chokwé eventually seized the capital of the Lunda ...

Wearing a cap and a uniform, this colonist character adopts an attitude of "attention to you". Patina of different ochre browns. Missing under one foot.
In the 13th century, the Kongo people, led by their king Ne Kongo, settled in a region at the crossroads of the borders between the current DRC, Angola and Gabon. Two centuries later, the Portuguese came into contact with the Kongo and converted their king to Christianity. Although monarchical, the Kongo political system had a democratic aspect because the king was actually placed at the head of the kingdom following an election held by a council of tribal governors. The king, also known as ntotela, controlled the appointment of court and provincial officials. The nganga, both healers and healers, were responsible for religious ...

This shield is adorned with a mask pattern with oversized ears, perforated like the ear pavilions of the Eastern Boa, an operation called " bavobongo ". Supposed to make invulnerable and in order to terrify the enemy, the mask of African art kpongadomba of the Boa, or Pongdudu, was ordered by the chief kumu who offered it to the most valiant warrior. It was then kept in his wife's hut. It conferred an impressive aspect to its wearer, accentuated by the contrast of colors. Farmers close to the Mangbetu and Zande, the Boa live in the savannah in the north of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Some Boa are said to have used these masks for educational purposes with children, since the pacification of the Uele region.
Matt granular patina. Abrasions, indigenous restoration.

Used by the female initiation society, this tubular carved figure is endowed with female attributes and a protruding umbilicus, scarifications comparable to those, traditional, of the members of the tribe, and has a patina color honey.
The Tabwa ("to scarify" and "to write") are an ethnic group present in the southeast of the DRC. Simple farmers without centralized power, they federated around tribal chiefs after being influenced by the Luba. It is mainly during this period that their artistic current expressed itself mainly through statues but also masks. The Tabwa practiced the cult of ancestors and dedicated some of their statues called mkisi to them. Animist, their beliefs are anchored around the ngulu, spirits of nature present in plants and rocks. The Luba dominated the ...

Mask of contrasting colors symbolizing the light and clairvoyance necessary to fight against the forces of witchcraft, it has a horn falling laterally in front of the elongated face in which the arches are dug in the heart. This attribute is associated with the elephant. This type of mask was not always intended to be worn, but it adorned the walls of the huts. Satin patina, abrasions.br /> Depending on the presence of horns and their arrangement, the masks are named pibibibudzé , Ekuku zokou , etc...and are associated with ancestors or spirits of the forest, " ekuk ". Tribe of the Kota group, the Kwélé , Bakwélé , live in the forest on the northern border of the Republic of Congo. They live from hunting, agriculture and metallurgy. Practicing the cult named Bwété borrowed ...

Statuette Nkisi, nkishi (pl. mankishi )whose top horn is absent. The power of the fetish, according to Songye beliefs, is reinforced by the presence of its accessories, such as metal and various additions of materials, vegetable fibers, animal skins, dried fruits, etc... Light brown patina. Minimal cracks.
These protection fetishes for homes are among the most popular in Africa. The Nkisi plays the role of mediator between gods and men. The large specimens are the collective property of an entire village, while the smaller figures belong to an individual or a family. In the sixteenth century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle on the left bank of the Lualaba River. Their society is organized in a patriarchal way. Their history is inseparable from that ...

Decorated with bas-relief motifs and horse heads, this African art sculpture was probably designed to preserve active medicinal preparations prepared according to the advice of elders who had been introduced to the science of trees or . jiridon. The figures of 'nommos', primordial ancestors, and animal symbols are supposed to activate the healing power of the actives. One of the Nommos, ancestors of men, resurrected by the creator god Amma, descended on the earth carried by an arch transformed into a horse. In addition, the highest authority of the Dogon people, the religious leader named Hogon, paraded on his mount during his induction because it was customary for him not to set foot on the ground. In the region of the cliffs of Sangha, inaccessible on horseback, the priests wore it, ...

Gurunsi blade masks are famous in African art for their stylized zoomorphic symbolism. They are covered with geometric patterns usually contrasted with kaolin and black pigments obtained from gum tree pods and charcoal powder. This is more specifically a board mask of the Nunuma subgroup. The features of different animals can be combined: buffalo, antelope, warthog, hyena, hornbill, snake and crocodile.
Five angular beaks appear on the vertical board of this piece, animated with symbolic geometric motifs: the triangles allude to antelope hoof prints and the curved beaks symbolize the hornbill, associated with divination. These masks were used for ritual dances and were worn by members of the village who were equipped with integral outfits made of vegetal fibers that covered the ...

African lega art and initiation materials.
Anthropomorphic statuette with a spherical head carried by thick bent legs. Among the many others used during initiations, it belonged to an initiate of the Bwami. The teacher guided the aspirant to a place where masks and statuettes were displayed, and it was through careful observation that the future initiate had to guess the more or less complex meaning of the metaphors evoked by the sculptures, the latter referring largely to proverbs and sayings. Those who were not allowed to see the object, in order to be protected from it, had to submit to costly ceremonies, and sometimes even join the lower rank of Bwami, the kongabulumbu ,at great expense to the families. Each of these initiations lasted seven days and included at least ...

The Solongo cultures of Angola and Yombé were largely influenced by the Kongo kingdom from which they borrowed naturalistic statuary and religious rites, particularly through nkondo nkisi.
carved fetishes. This finely detailed female figure, wearing a dignitary's headdress, symbol of the mythical ancestor probably associated with fertility cults, is represented kneeling in an attitude of respect or supplication. Scarifications are scattered on her bust. These cuts, made with needles, knives and razors, were then coated with coal or ashes to accelerate healing and form prominent patterns. Abrasions. Matt patina.
In the 13th century, the Kongo people, led by their king Ne Kongo, settled in a region at the crossroads of the borders between the current DRC, Angola and Gabon. ...

Box mask reproducing in miniature the famous zoomorphic mask symbolizing power. Golden beige patina encrusted with residual kaolin. Desication cracks.
br-The Tabwa ('scarifier' and 'write') are an ethnic group found in southeastern DRC, around Lake Tanganyika. The tribes of this region, such as the Tumbwe , worship the ancestors mipasi through sculptures held by chiefs or sorcerers. A magical charge (dawa) was introduced to the top of the head of the statues. Soothsayers used such objects to expose witchcraft and protect against evil spirits. The Tabwa, a simple farmers without centralized power, united around tribal leaders after being influenced by the Luba. It was mainly during this period that their artistic current was expressed mainly through statues but also through masks. ...

The African mask Guéré is reputed to be a complex piece both in terms of shapes and, often, also materials. Here it consists of a combination of globular, tubular, crunchy growths, around which wood, leather and textile fibers are clumped in a crustal coating.
Prior to the 1960s, masks, whose development was inspired by the visits of spirits during dreams, accompanied most activities such as war, dancing, singing, hunting. Each of these masks had a name associated with its function. It remained the property of the lineage of the dancer. If the mask has a social function, such as when it is required by the chief to order certain work, it may also be used to entertain the villagers.

African Tabwa mask symbolizing power. Polychrome matte patina.
The Tabwa ("to scarify" and "to write") constitute an ethnic group present in the South-East of the DRC, around Lake Tanganyika. The tribes of this region, such as the Tumbwe, worship their ancestors mipasi thanks to sculptures held by chiefs or sorcerers. A magical charge ( dawa ) was introduced at the top of the head of the statues. Healing soothsayers used this type of objects to unveil witchcraft and protect against malevolent spirits. Simple farmers without centralized power, the Tabwa federated around tribal chiefs after having undergone the influence of the Luba whose beliefs they integrated. It is mainly during this period that their artistic current expressed itself mainly through statues but ...

Figure of ancestor depicted naked, camped on stocky lower limbs, half-fell. The geometric patterns traced evoke the body paintings and tribal scarifications of the Mangbetu, similar to those of the Asua pygmies with whom the tribe had relations. The latter varied depending on the circumstances. The fan hairstyle was sported by the Mangbetu: from an early age, children were compressed from the cranial box by means of raffia ties. Later, the Mangbetu their hair on wicker strands and applied a headband to the forehead to extract the hair and produce this particular headdress that accentuates the lengthening of the head. The ancient names beli these figures of ancestors stored out of sight and comparable to those belonging to their secret society nebeli .
s dark satinpatine. Fine ...

This statue, symbol of power, glorifies the ancestor and mythical hero founder of the ethnic group, Chibinda Ilunga. The chief, with oversized palms and feet, has an impressive noble headdress. Easily recognizable thanks to this large headdress with curved side wings (cipenya-mutwe) which was made of a wicker frame covered with fabric, brass, leather, and pearls, he had taught his people the art of hunting. The dignitaries presented themselves cross-legged in suits, which is confirmed by an African proverb: "The elder sitting cross-legged wishes to be greeted with respect" "By the allusion to the circle of his cross-legged legs, the chief conveys the blessings of a life in full orbit". ("The Kongo gesture", ed. Dapper Museum) The chief claps his hands as a sign of welcome and to ...

Covered with braids gathered in three top shells, the horizontal lips forming a wide pout, this reliquary figure displays the characteristics of the Ntumu style from the regions between Gabon, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. Matt oily patina, eroded areas. Lacks in the feet.
Among the Fang of Cameroon and Gabon, each family has a "Byeri", or reliquary box, in which the bones of the ancestors are kept. These boxes were kept by the oldest man in the village, the "esa". The reliquary boxes were surmounted by a statue or a head that acted as a guardian of the "byeri" boxes. These were kept in a dark corner of the box, and were meant to divert evil influences to someone else. They were also used during the initiation ceremonies of young people linked to the "So" society. During ...