African Arts Gallery

Naturalism for this Nigerian mask associated with funerary rites, and whose face coated with white clay bears the traditional keloids in vertical barrette, also present in the Igbos, with protruding cheekbones under ample eye sockets, and an apparent dentition. The ears are raised with red ochre pigment. Flaky, flaking patina.
The Idoma settled at the confluence of the Benue and Niger rivers. Numbering 500,000, they are farmers and traders. The neighborhood and therefore the influences of the Igbo, the ethnic groups of the Cross River and Igala have generated stylistic borrowings and great tribal similarities. The royal lineage members of their society oglinye , glorifying courage, use masks and crests during funerals and festivities. They also produce statues of ...

Statue biteke (sculpted figure) embodying an ancestor of the clan. His hollow bust must have housed the magical charge called " Bonga " or "bilongo", which was generally fixed or concealed by a textile. This symbolism refers to the Téké belief that the abdomen conceals wisdom. These fetishes were placed on the altars of the chiefs.
Matte patina.
Established between the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo and Gabon, the Téké were organized into chiefdoms, the chief of which was often chosen from among the blacksmiths. The head of the family, mfumu , had the right of life or death over his family, the importance of which determined his prestige. The chief of the clan, ngantsié , kept the great protective fetish tar mantsié which ...

br> Usual objects in African art.
A functional accessory for ritual ceremonies, this sculpted spoon offers a deep cone-shaped spoon surmounted by a curved handle with a flat end. Very fine streaks adorn the surface.
Scattered throughout the Saharan region of Libya, Mali, Algeria and Niger, the Tuareg (sing: Targui), or "Veiled Men", would come from Berber pastors fleeing the Arabs in Libya in the 7th century. The targui blacksmith also sculpts wood, which is a rare material, carved objects which are often repaired to prolong their use are part of the dowry.
Ref. : "Black Africa, 1" J. Anquetil.

Devoid of accessories, this fetish Nkisi, nkishi (pl. mankishi )is vigorously carved, revealing the adze strikes. Individual fetishes were sometimes carved by non-professionals, the owners themselves. Brown satin patina. Abrasions.
These protective fetishes for homes are among the most prized in Africa. The Nkisi plays the role of mediator between gods and men. The larger examples are collectively owned by an entire village, while the smaller figures belong to an individual or 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 manner. Their history is inseparable from that of the Luba to whom they are related through common ancestors. The ...

Mask offering the physiognomy of a primate. Kaolin residues. This sculpted work indicated the stage that its holder had reached within the Bwami, a learning society made up of different ranks, and which were joined by the wives whose husbands had reached the third level, that of ngandu . Height including beard: 48 cm. Within the Léga, the Bwami society, open to men and women, organized social and political life. There were up to seven initiation levels, each associated with emblems. Following their exodus from Uganda in the 17th century, the Lega settled on the west bank of the Lualaba River in DRC. During ritual ceremonies, Idumu masks were presented to initiates placed on a barrier and surrounded by smaller masks. The teacher guided the aspirant to a place where ...

Ti-wara masks in African art.
It would be a genius animal called Ciwara who would have taught the Bambara to cultivate the land. They recall the myth through the stylized representation of a hippotrague antelope, whose name ci wara means " fawn of the earth. Adorned on the head and sides of slats of copper, ears and muzzle are embellished with cotton thread pompoms. The tops of the horns inclined towards the rear are also sheathed in leather and horsehair. This sculpture of Ti wara would come from the region of Ségou.
Velvety mat patina. Carried at the top of the head and held in place by a sort of small basket, these crests accompanied the dancers during the rituals of tòn , an association dedicated to agricultural work. The masks bounded across the field in order ...

Figure sculpted for divination purposes, this statuette has "hooves" hands placed on either side of the abdomen. The face is streaked with linear scarifications obliquely. Light brown satin patina. Abrasions. Desiccation cracks.
The Senoufos, a name given to them by French settlers, are mainly made up of farmers who have dispersed between Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso. Ruled by matrilineal traditions, their villages are made up of clusters of dwellings called katiolo . Each of them has its own Poro association which initiates young boys from the age of seven in a succession of three cycles lasting seven years. When one of the Poro members died, the statues named pombibele were on display. Although exclusively male, the Poro company in fact pays homage with these ...

A local chief's effigy believed to facilitate contact with tutelary spirits, the African statuette Hemba, opposite, was originally attributed to the Luba. Hemba clan leaders had several ancestor statues that they venerated, and to which they dedicated offerings in order to establish their legitimacy. The attitude is classical, hands resting on a protruding abdomen, symbol of lineage. The cruciform headdress is delimited by a wide sculpted band like the beard. Light brown patina with ochre residue. Desiccation cracks. The Hemba, established in southeastern Zaire on the right bank of the Lualaba River, were for a long time subject to the neighboring Luba empire, which had a definite influence on their culture, religion and art. Ancestor worship, whose effigies have long been ...

This flat, circular African mask is the least important in the hierarchy of African Goli masks.
Embellished with a decorative chiseled border, offering protruding pupils, it has a chiseled mouth with a dentition, evoking the traditional filing of teeth in young people. This example is surmounted by a sculpted figure, represented masked, standing between the scrolled horns. According to some authors, the female kplekple mask (Masques africains Barbier-Mueller, p.116) is red. Vogel (Baule) indicates on the other hand that in the Baule version of the Goli the male mask is painted red, and the female in black. It is likely that this attribution varies from village to village. Drying cracks.
Usually preceding the manifestation of a series of masks of the " Goli" family, ...

Master bronze smiths in African art .
. Gan bronzes, metal objects melted by the blacksmith using the lost wax technique, form individual protective fetishes. They embody a sacred mythical animal whose role was crucial for man, and are declined in the motifs of the turtle, chameleon, crocodile or panther. Some, composing the royal regalia, were placed in shrines.

This zoomorphic pendant, a protective jewel, figures a lion devouring its prey. Khaki brown patina with golden reflections. Neighboring people of the Lobi in southwestern Burkina Faso, the Gan or Kaa (Kaaba pl.), form a "relic people" according to Madeleine Père, living within a wooded savanna. Their king "Gan Massa" is elected by the notables from different villages. Hypotheses diverge as to their origins. ...