African Arts Gallery

Among the many sculpted objects relating to hasse and magic, this stylized protective female statuette could represent the spirit Ngbirondo acting as guardian of the village. Funeral statues were also used, and couple sculptures yangba and sister, equivalent to the Seto and Nabo ancestors of Ngbaka. The pointed chin and the scarfication on the ridge of the nose is characteristic of the ethnicity. Thick, dark patina, lumpy and cracked.
The Ngbaka form a homogeneous people from the north-west of the R.D.C., south of Ubangui. The Ngbandi live to the east (on the left bank of the Oubangui) and the Ngombe to the south. The initiation of young people, 'gaza' or 'ganza' (which gives strength) in the Ngbaka and Ngbandi, has many similarities, through endurance tests, songs and dances. The ...

This sculpture with angular shapes is the result of cooperation between the nganga, the craftsman and the client. Treated according to the instructions of the ritual priest, the figure intended for the client is then loaded with the elements bishimba intended to counter any evil force. In the case of the çi-contre fetish, the hollowed abdomen is devoid of it. The face is studded with upholstery nails. In African culture, metal has magical, therapeutic and apotropaic properties. The face that adopts the features of a middle-aged man recalls both the kifwebe mask. Satin black brown patina.
The fetish Songye , magical sculpture Nkisi , nkishi (pl. mankishi ), plays the role of mediator between gods and men. Large specimens are the collective property of an entire village, while smaller ...

Surmounted by three figures of birds, this African mask of the je is depicted wearing a hairstyle divided in three evoking wealth. The quality of the model, the balance of volumes, the glossy dark patina, reveal the talent of African tribal art sculptors from Côte d'Ivoire. This copy, named Anoman , Lomane , (bird in baoulé) is part of the fourth of the seven masks je which originally danced around the deceased and leaned to the touch for a purifying purpose. He also appears at the moment in the course of rejoicing.
The Yaouré are a subgroup of the Akan People present in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. Geographically close to the Baoulé and the Gouros, we feel in yaouré art the influence of these ethnic groups through attention to detail and aesthetics. The masks of African art Yaouré, ...

These mythical protective figures no doubt evoke the primordial couple, associated with the Nommos , at the origin of the creation of dogon. Their tribal style is characteristic of the central part of the Bandiagara cliff, bombou-toro. An antique piece acquired by the owner in a gallery in Aix in Provence, it is part of an important collection of Dogon objects. Small ovoid heads with crests extending over the faces above discoid chin straps. The stretched arms accompany a long bust including the abdominal protruding, and the position of the hands on the lower abdomen, affirms lineage and fertility. Dry skate, eroded wood. Cracks. Mostly custom-carved by a family, Dogon statues can also be worshipped by the entire community when they commemorate, for example, the founding of the village. ...

This African figure seems to fit into the category of sculptures featuring a 'little favorite', Dyonyeni, Nyeleni in Bambara, a young girl at the height of her beauty. The head with a crest is traditionally framed by braids. The presentation of an offering cup symbolizes a ritual. The base of the room is damaged.
Beautlyted surface. Dark, oily, locally thinned patina. It is possible to order a suitable base in black wood 18/18 cm.
The Bambara of central and southern Mali belong to the large Mande group, like the Soninke and Malinke. They believe in the existence of a creative god generically called Ngala who possesses 266 sacred attributes: one for each day of the 9 lunar months that lasts the gestation of a child. Ngala maintains order to the universe. Its existence coexists ...

Asaned in order to present the hollowed-out gourd mboko which was filled with kaolin whose visitors to the king were silently symbolizing purity and the spiritual world, this female figure offers a delicately modeled face. According to P.Nooter these figures represented the soothsayer's wife, which underlines its importance in the process of divination bilumbu
The healers of the society Buhabo and the soothsayers Mbudye also used it.
On some Luba though a woman, she would represent the first soothsayer Luba, and would also be an allegory of royalty linked to the powerful society of the Mbudye associated with royal power. Patine mate.

Luba (Baluba in Tchiluba) are a people of Central Africa. Their cradle is the Katanga, specifically the region of the Lubu ...

The dolls Mpundu are recognizable by their cylindrical body surmounted by a head whose face is, according to the examples, endowed with little or many scarifications. These dolls are used by members of women's initiation associations. The Tabwa worship twins named bampundu who are supposed to possess magical gifts. Medium orange brown glossy patina.
The Luba dominated the Tabwa in the region along Lake Tanganyika, between Zaire and Zambia. Tabwa or 'be tied up' probably refers to the system of slavery once practiced by Islamic merchants. The Tabwa then regained their independence thanks to the wealth provided by the ivory trade. Just as the influence of the Luba is noticeable in Tabwa societies and rites, Tanzanian tribes have also marked tabwa statuary with regard to geometric ...

For the Baoule, seeing a woman's genitals can be fatal for a man. The depiction of a female figure, naked, unclothed by a loincloth of cloth, forms a threat. She is probably the embodiment of a female goddess. Represented seated, featuring a child, the woman wears traditional keloid scars, glass beaded necklaces and a hairstyle whose chiseled braids on the wood form large shells. Brilliant dark brown patina. Lack of base.

Two types of statues are produced by the Baoulé in the ritual framework: The Waka-Sona statues, be wooden in baoulé, evoke a silish oussou, being from the earth. They are part of a type of statues intended to be used as a medium tool by the soothsayers komian, the latter being selected by the spirits asye usu in order to communicate the revelations of the ...

This african mask of flat structure, plychrome, was part of an ensemble held by high-ranking members of the Bukota hierarchical society. Patina matte abrased.
This ritual mask comes from the Lengola from Uganda and living near the Metoko in the center of the Congolese basin between the Lomami and Lualaba rivers, a people of the primary forest dedicated to the worship of a unique God, a monotheism rare in Africa. In addition to the company Lilwa , their company , the Bukota, welcoming both men and women, is the equivalent of the association Bwami Lega. Their sculptures, influenced by the neighbouring Mbole, Lega and Binja, played a role in initiation, funeral or circumcision ceremonies, and were then placed on the tomb of high-ranking initiates. Each of these figures had an ...

Ex-collection Belgian African art.
The Ngeendé, forming one of the Kuba tribes living in the eastern part of the territory, produced a variant of the spectacular African Kuba mask moshambwooy created by the ruling bushoong ethnic group. There are many regional stylistic interpretations of this Kuba tribal mask named Mukenga or Mukenge, symbolizing the Woot ruler at the origin of the clan, but the characteristic of the mask invariably remains the trunk-shaped headdress. Made on a wickerwork frame, the helmet-like mask is entirely covered with hundreds of pearls and cowries arranged in geometric patterns. A thick raffia collar decorates the contours. This mask embodies the power of the king through its animal symbolism, the elephant being once a source of wealth and abundance ...

Small, meticulously sculpted figure, with large digitized hands placed in front of the bust, and under which a pastille indicates the umbilicus. The legs are fleshy, tight, and half bent. The face with stylized features appears meditative. Satin patina with granular residual incrustations. Established on the plateaus of the People's Republic of Congo (formerly Brazzaville), and not to be confused with the Bembé group north of Lake Tanganinyika, the small group Babembé, Béembé, was influenced by the Teke rites and culture, but especially by that of the Kongo. Settled in the current Republic of Congo, the Béembé originally formed the kingdom of the Kongo, with the Vili, Yombé, Bwendé and Woyo. They were under the tutelage of the king ntotela elected by the governors. The trade in ...

Carved out of wood, this spherical container for ritual use has a foot to facilitate the grip. Decorative motifs, hatching, friezes and zigzag lines, are engraved around the edges, while other diamond-shaped elements in relief underline the outline of the vase. Some symbols, in wavelets, are associated with the Dogon myths of creation. Collected in the 1950s by Monsieur Arnaud, accompanying Alain Bilot, Alain Bilot,
renowned collector of Dogon art during study stays in Mali.


Matt, granular surface.
The Dakar-Djibouti mission of 1931, led by Marcel Griaule, ...

Female figure with a large head. The body tracings, like those of the face, represent the traditional paintings of the ethnic group, inspired by the tattoos of the neighboring Asua pygmies, and which varied according to the circumstances. Among the Mangbetu, from a very young age, the children of the upper classes were subjected to a compression of the skull, kept tight by raffia ties. Later, the hair was "knitted" on wicker strands and a headband was placed around the forehead in order to bring out the hair and form this majestic headdress accentuating the elongation of the skull. The ancients called beli anthropomorphic figures embodying ancestors, stored out of sight, and comparable to those belonging to their secret society nebeli . Black oiled patina, abrasions, eroded foot ...

The Ekiti of the northeastern part of the yoruba region use polychrome heaume masks illustrating the prosperity of the community. The base of the mask, named ikoko, is surmounted by a maternity figure associated with one of the multiple gods orisa of the yoruba pantheon. These masks, painted by their owners, are released every two years. Despite the weight of the masks, the dancers perform spectacular acrobatic demonstrations. These ceremonies are also supposed to increase fertility. Crusty polychrome patina.
The Yoruba, more than 20 million, occupy the southwestern part of Nigeria and the central and southeastern part of Benin under the name of Nago. They are patrilineal and practice excision and circumcision. The kingdoms of Oyo and Ijebu were born following the ...

Usual objects in African art. Wakémia spoon whose handle, embellished with friezes of cowries, ends in an elegant horn pattern. Grainy, satiny patina.
Height on pedestal: 54 cm.
The tribal art of the dan also produces objects of daily use, including the famous carved wooden spoons, Wakémia, used during festive ceremonies, and granted by the villagers to a particularly generous and hospitable woman. The woman will use it to serve the meal and will joyfully wield it during the "dances of the hospitable woman". For the Dan of the Ivory Coast, also called Yacouba, two very distinct worlds are opposed: that of the village, composed of its inhabitants, its animals, and that of the forest, its vegetation and the animals and spirits that populate it. In order for these ...

This African Bambara mask is surmounted by a female figure. Parallel horns encrusted with cowries, whose even number would indicate that it is a female mask, also rise to the top. The oblong face, highlighted with fine scarification patterns, is asserted by an imposing bushy nose that dominates prominent lips. The brown patina gives this piece a matte and velvety appearance.
One finds the Bambara , Bamana , in central and southern Mali. This name means "unbeliever" and was given to them by the Muslims. They belong to the large group Mande , like the Soninke and Malinke. Animists, they also believe in the existence of a creator god generically called Ngala, who has 266 sacred attributes. One, for each day of the 9 lunar months that lasts the gestation of a child. Ngala ...

African mask board, very graphic, surmounted by horns in arch. It is a stylized, narrow, bovid (nyatti) face, flanked by two wings indicating ears. The piece is embellished with geometric motifs in contrasting colors. A metal blade showing the tongue extends the whole. Abraded patina.
Sculpted by sculptors from Douala in the Bay of Cameroon, this type of zoomorphic mask was produced for the initiates of the ekongolo society, still active, to honor the ancestors during ritual ceremonies, and were worn like a helmet. According to the explorer Zintgraff, this mask was also responsible for hunting the uninitiated, which was also the role of the Oku masks of the Grassland. The Douala, living at the mouth of the river Wuri, organized regattas where one could admire, on ...

A Central African people settled in Kasai, a neighbor of the Kuba, the Ndengese, Dengese, form one of the clans descended from a common ancestor, the Mongo, some of them originating from the Upper Nile. They produced statues of primitive art with absent or truncated lower limbs, covered with graphic symbols, symbolizing the prestige of the chief, called "Isikimanji". The flared hairstyle, often surmounted by a horn at the top, is characteristic of the hairstyles acquired by the chiefs Totshi belonging to the association ikoho and evokes particular proverbs . It symbolizes respect, intelligence and maturity. The face seems to be in meditation. The ringed neck surmounts a bust abundantly scarified, translating the wish of a social and aesthetic differentiation. The hands are joined ...