African Arts Gallery

Originally designed to frighten, this heavy African mask carved from dense wood, inlaid with brass nails, has various growths imprisoning its features.
Abrasions and desiccation cracks.
It is mainly in the west of the Ivory Coast that the Bété use masks whose style has been influenced by the gla mask society glaé of the Wobé and Guéré populations, together referred to as Wé or "the men who forgive easily", himself belonging to the group cultural Krou , these traditions having been transmitted to them and taught by the Nyabwa . Of warlike origin but also participating in the resolution of conflicts, this sacred mask is worn accompanied by amulets which protect its wearer from its power against witchcraft. It is in order to strengthen his power through the exercise of ...

This sculpture of African tribal art is believed, for the Yoruba of Nigeria, to facilitate communication with the sacred.
Locally flaking crusty polychrome patina, desiccation cracks.
The Yoruba, more than 20 million, occupy southwestern Nigeria and the central and southeastern region of Benin under the name of Nago. The kingdoms of Oyo and Ijebu arose following the disappearance of the Ifé civilization and are still the basis of the political structure of the Yoruba . The Oyo created two cults centered on the still active Egungun and Sango societies, which worshiped a pantheon of gods, the Orisa< /i> , through ceremonies using masks, statuettes, scepters and divination supports. The slave trade helped spread Yoruba beliefs across continents.

In African art, the Bamiléké demonstrate their skills through the use of multicolored beads.
This monoxyle seat with the appearance of a table, named rü mfo among the Bamum, features human figurative motifs. A basic structure is carved from wood and then covered, above a rag cloth, with a latticework of imported multicolored beads.br>
Located in the border region of Nigeria, Cameroon's northwestern province, the Grassland is made up of several ethnic groups: Tikar, Anyang, Widekum, Chamba, Bamoun, or Bamum and Bamileke. Several centralized chiefdoms, or kingdoms, based on customary associations, secret societies,are organized around the Fon who has broad powers. Among the Bamilekes of Sudanese-Bantu origin, as in other ethnic groups, art objects testified to their ...

Scepter with sculpted Mangbetu type motif, depicting a naked couple, tattooed and styled according to traditional use. This headdress highlighted the elongation of the skull, typical of the group, which compression of the head from a very young age gradually deformed.
Glossy brown patina.
The ancients call beli the anthropomorphic figures embodying ancestors, stored out of sight, and comparable to those belonging to their secret society nebeli. The Mangebetu kingdom in northern Congo produced architectural works that impressed European visitors in the 19th century. Their furniture, weapons, ornaments and statuary were imbued with a rare aesthetic quality. The ethnologist G.A. Schweinfurth in 1870 described its symmetry and refinement, while at the same time testifying ...

Featuring a deified ancient king, a figure of a horseman sculpted in the round associated with the sango cult forms the pommel of this ceremonial object. The equine, rare in the region, constituted a prestigious attribute which was reserved for the nobility and the sovereigns. Centered on the veneration of its gods, or orisà , the Yoruba religion is based on artistic sculptures with coded messages (aroko). They are designed by the sculptors at the request of the followers, soothsayers and their customers. Polychrome patina.
The Yoruba, more than 20 million, occupy southwestern Nigeria and the central and southeastern region of Benin under the name of Nago. They are patrilineal, practice excision and circumcision. The kingdoms of Oyo and Ijebu arose following the disappearance of ...

Collection of African Belgian art
The frequent representations of riders among the Dogon of Mali refer to their cosmogony and their complex religious myths. Indeed, one of the Nommos, ancestors of men, resuscitated by the creator god Amma, descended to earth carried by an ark transformed into a horse. In addition, the highest authority of the Dogon people, the religious leader named Hogon, paraded on his mount during his enthronement because according to custom he was not to set foot on the ground. In the region of the cliffs of Sangha, inaccessible on horseback, the priests wore it, while neighing in reference to the mythical ancestor Nommo. Ocher brown patina. Dogon blacksmiths form an endogamous caste among the Dogon called irim. They now produce weapons, tools, and also work ...

This rare African male statue, dedicated to ancestor worship, healing or divination rites, presents the "mabinda" relief motifs. These patterns were scarified on the skin of adolescents. Determination and power emerge from this work. Abraded polychrome patina, minor cracks, erosions at the top.
The Punu are a Bantu people of Central Africa established mainly in the south of Gabon, also in the Republic of Congo in the Niari region. They live in independent villages divided into clans and families. Social cohesion is ensured by the Moukouji society, whose essential role is to subjugate the evil spirits of the forest.

Identifiable thanks to its look bandaged with red textile, the African maskdan entitledzapkei ge is responsible for watching over domestic fires in order to prevent fires. It is accessorized with long braided plant fiber braids. Smooth black patina.
br>For the Dan, or Yacouba, living in the west of Ivory Coast and in Liberia, the "dü" force which would animate the world would manifest itself in the sculpted masks. It is in this way that she seeks to bring knowledge to man in order to provide him with support, and first uses the channel of dreams. The spirits then indicate how to name the mask they wish to see made. These masks of different types are endowed with social, spiritual and political functions, often evolving over time.
Lit. : "African Masks from the Barbier ...

African sculpture, an everyday object aimed at enhancing the status of its user, an expression of African art, this headrest monoxyle or even "dream support" has a braided strap. It constitutes, for the tribes of Kenya and Uganda, a pillow to preserve, during sleep, the elaborate headdresses. It could also be used as a stool. Among the Turkana, they are offered to the future wife as a wedding vow, and returned to the man in case of refusal. Among the Pokot established in the region from Lake Turkana to Lake Baringo, it is the present which marks the ceremonies of the passage to adulthood or even a reward for a victory during a conflict.
Headrests frequently take the stylized form of an animal, cattle being of utmost importance to the pastoralist tribes of East Africa. Glossy brown ...

A figure of a kneeling couple supports the tray of this piece of mangbetu furniture. The body tracings refer to the ceremonial paintings of the clan. The high hairstyle is characteristic of the Mangbetu aristocracy: from an early age, children had their skulls compressed by means of raffia ties. Later, the Mangbetu knitted their hair on strands of wicker and applied a band on the forehead to extract the hair and produce this particular headdress that accentuates the elongation of the head. aesthetic refinement of the Mangbetu, and the emphasis placed on fertility . The elders name beli these figures of ancestors stored out of sight and comparable to those belonging to their secret society nebeli . Established in the forest in northeastern Zaire, the Mangbetu kingdom expressed ...

The African art of Côte d'Ivoire and its fantastic masks.
Doth of six pairs of tubular eyes, in reference to the phrase often cited in West Africa 'four eyes', describing a person with a power of divination, this Kru plank mask has a parallepiped mouth. The organs were treated in polychromy as opposed to the speckled and grainy patina, ochre brown color, of the whole. The top has horns joining together and a raffia beard trims the chin.
The Kru are divided into twenty-four subgroups, including the Grebo, settled in southern Liberia and southwestern Côte d'Ivoire. Their leader is the bodio , who lives reclusive. Unlike most people in West Africa, they are not subject to Poro society. Their masks with tubular growths are said to be of oubi, and could symbolize the mythical ...

African face mask Makonde associated with an ancestral spirit. This sculpture is characterized by a deeply sunken look highlighting the relief of the cheekbones and the ears placed in height. The hairstyle forms a double crest. A labret deforms the upper lip. Dark satin patina.
Height on base: 37 cm.

The Makonde of northern Mozambique and southern Tanzania wore helmet masks called lipiko during initiation ceremonies for young people. The Makonde venerate an ancestor, which explains the abundance of naturalistic female statuary. Besides the face masks worn during mapiko dances and ngoma ceremonies that educate young people about the demands of marriage and family life. the Makonde also produce body masks featuring the female bust. For the Makonde, the ancestors would return ...

African mask Makonde embodying an ancestral spirit, depicting a face whose lip bears a labret.
The ancestors would return masked in order to mark their satisfaction following the initiation. The relief patterns refer to traditional Makonde tattoos and scarifications.
Smooth, velvety, golden beige patina. Desication cracks, slight losses.

The Makonde of northern Mozambique and southern Tanzania wore helmet masks called lipiko during initiation ceremonies for young people. The Makonde venerate an ancestor, which explains the abundance of naturalistic female statuary. Besides the face masks worn during mapiko dances and ngoma ceremonies that educate young people about the demands of marriage and family life. the Makonde also produce body masks featuring the female ...

Ex-collection of Belgian African art.
The Baoulé people (name taken from a legend, "Bauli", "the son is dead") form one of the largest tribes in Côte d'Ivoire.
The African dance masks Mblo are part of one of the oldest Baoulé artistic traditions and frequently represent an idealized character whose certain aesthetic characteristics will be privileged. They occur during dance events accompanied by music and songs, such as celebrations, visits by personalities, entertainment featuring various satirical scenarios. This face imbued with a serene expression forms a "portrait" mask ndoma. The visual effect manifested thanks to the curves and rounding exudes great softness. When the subject of a portrait mask dies, the mask is no longer used. Each of these masks is distinguished ...

African sculpture biteke (carved figure) embodying a clan ancestor. The hollowed bust houses the magic 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, colored highlights. erosions.
Established between the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo and Gabon, the Téké were organized into chiefdoms whose chief was often chosen from among the blacksmiths. The chief of the clan, ngantsié , kept the great protective fetish tar mantsié which supervised all the ceremonies. It is the powerful sorcerer healer and diviner who "loaded" with magic elements, against payment, the ...

Boki statues in African art.
The Boki, Bokyi, live along the Nigerian border northwest of Mamfe. They speak an eponymous language and are part of the Benoué. Most are Christianized.

The Boki practiced the cult of the Leopard Spirit, whose aggressive and unpredictable character was expressed through symbols.
This representation of a standing ancestor, hands placed on the abdominal protrusion, the seat of knowledge, is distinguished by its naturalism. Linear scarifications on the face are historically common in this region.
Thick patina locally chipped, chips, abrasions.

Collection of Belgian African art.

The locks consist of a vertical element, and a horizontal slider. The surface of the object is engraved with friezes, while carved figures rise at the top.
Locally lightened brown patina.
The closure systems of the Sudanese regions contain characteristic elements of the Dogon cosmogony, according to which the first inhabitants of the Bandiagara area crossed the river on the back of a crocodile. The designs on doors in Mali are intended to deter intruders, whether human or animal, from entering. The locks, like the doors, are cut in wood chosen according to the function of the building in which they will be used. Because each plant is attributed specific virtues.

The Luba are renowned for their statuary and in particular their neckrests and stools made up of a caryatid figure. The figures adorning this neckrest to preserve the complex headdress of its owner refer to Luba royalty and tutelary spirits. But neckrests were also used to support the heads of the deceased, and sometimes, according to Albert Maesen, buried in their place. Nuanced brown patina, abrasions and slight chips.
The Luba (Baluba in Chiluba) are a people of Central Africa. Their cradle is Katanga, more precisely the region of the Lubu River, hence the name (Baluba, which means “the Lubas”). They were born from a secession of the Songhoy ethnic group, under the leadership of Ilunga Kalala who killed the old king Kongolo who has since been revered in the form of a python. In ...

The Luba are famous in particular for their neckrests and stools made of a caryatid figure. Neckrests protecting headdresses during the night were also used to support the heads of the deceased, and sometimes, according to Albert Maesen, buried in their place. These female figures embodying the spirit of an ancestor, vidiye, seated face to face, intertwined, form the "receptacle of a deceased sovereign chief" (Luba, Roberts). Beautiful lustrous patina, abrasions.

The Luba (Baluba in Chiluba) are a people of Central Africa. Their cradle is Katanga, more precisely the region of the Lubu River, hence the name (Baluba, which means “the Lubas”). They were born from a secession of the Songhoy ethnic group, under the leadership of Ilunga Kalala who killed the old king Kongolo who ...

This prestigious comb with a feminine patterned handle was used to shape the braided hairstyles of its owner. This type of hair adornment was patiently developed around a structure, which required long hours. The figurative combs, containing figures and motifs associated with the cosmos and the myths of the clan, are indeed widespread throughout West and Central Africa, where the art of styling takes on its full meaning. These ceremonial hairstyles, or more simply those of everyday life, highlight the head, the seat of intelligence, wisdom and meditation.
Smooth-used patina.
The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, the Bwende, the Dondo/Kamba, the Yombé and the Kongo constituted the Kongo group, led by King ntotela . Their kingdom reached its apogee in the 16th ...

This circular receptacle, intended for a practice still in use today in the Baoulé region of the south-west, has a lid and is decorated on its walls with motifs depicting mice. A mouse, considered as a messenger of the divinities of the earth, lived in fact in the lower compartment of the object and the successive arrangement of the elements that it moved was read as an answer to the question posed to the diviner. The piece is also equipped with a carrying strap. The metal plate under the box has been fitted and perforated so that the mice are "in contact with the spirits of the earth, asié".
Brown patina, ocher residue, abrasions, small accidents.
Ref.: Mathilde Buratti , “Boxes used for divination by mice”.