African Arts Gallery

Belgian collection.
African art lega and initiation materials.
African tribal sculpture Sakimatwematwe (Multi-heads) belonging to an initiate of Bwami, among the many others used throughout the initiations. The teacher guided the aspirant to a place where masks and statuettes were exhibited, and it was through careful observation that the future initiate had to guess the more or less complex meaning of these metaphors, the latter referring largely to proverbs. and sayings. Matte light patina, erosions.br /> Relating to a Lega proverb, with two or more heads, this statuette would always illustrate the need for a global vision of events, and therefore the prudence, wisdom and impartiality that should result from it. (Biebuyck 1973)

Ex-French collection of African art With a stocky constitution around a concave bust hollowed out with an orifice, this African statue embodying an ancestor also offers zoomorphic attributes. Locally grainy matte patina, discreet red ochre highlights.
Despite their small number, the thirty thousand Mambila (or Mambilla, Mambere, Nor, Torbi, Lagubi, Tagbo, Tongbo, Bang, Ble, Juli, Bea)(the "men" in Fulani), settled in the northwest of Cameroon, created a large number of masks and statues easily identifiable by their heart-shaped faces. Although the Mambila believe in a creator god named Chang or Nama, they only worship their ancestors. Their leaders were buried in granaries like wheat because they were supposed to symbolize prosperity. Masks and Statues were not to be seen by ...

traditional furniture in African art. Gurunsi stool from Burkina Faso, whose curved, oblong top rests on three massive legs. Its very sober ornamentation consists of a circular motif on one foot. Golden patina, glossy on the seat, with drying. This African seat is the most important element of African furniture, relating to social rank, and, just like the African headrest, does not lend itself in any way case.

A tool and both a ceremonial and war weapon, this type of object was brandished in the context of ceremonies and ritual dances. The hatchet has an eroded handle with a lustrous patina. Its originality is its double blade whose function is unknown to us. Erosions.
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. The Chokwé did not have centralized power but large chiefdoms. They were the ones who attracted artists wishing to put their know-how at the exclusive service of the court. The artists created so many varied pieces and of such quality that the Lunda court only employed them.

Minimalism for this African mask Dogon associated with the monkey. The orbital cavities are framed by a V-shaped ridge extending below the nasal bridge, concealing the mouth. The circular ears fit high on the skull. Cracks and erosions from use.
More than eighty types of Dogon masks have been listed, the majority used by circumcised initiates of the Awa society, during funeral ceremonies. The Awa designates the masks, their costumes, and all the Dogons in the service of the masks. The "nyama", the mask's vital force, is activated by various rituals in order to develop the object's full magical potential. The Ko mask of the Dogon is one of three types of monkey masks: Dege features a baboon and the masks Ko and Omono represent monkeys grivets . The monkeys feed on baobab ...

Fetish-sculpture nkishi (pl. mankishi ) protective, featuring a central foot bringing together miniature figures of kifwebe masks. The bishimba, magic charge, was housed in the object. Velvety black patina. Slight lacks, desication cracks.

These fetishes of protection intended 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 16th century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle on the left bank of the Lualaba. Their society is organized in a patriarchal way. Their history is inseparable from that of the Luba to which they are related through common ancestors.
The ...

Among the range of African masks of Mbuya initiation, this mask extended with a trim simulating a braided hairstyle, forms one of the variants of the pota mask of the Central Pende. Brown patina dotted with residual kaolin and ocher pigments. Abrasions, desiccation cracks. Height on base: 75 cm.
The western Pende live on the banks of the Kwilu, while the eastern people have settled on the banks of the Kasai downstream from Tshikapa. The influences of neighboring ethnic groups, Mbla, Suku, Wongo, Leele, Kuba and Salempasu imprinted on their large tribal art sculpture. Within this diversity, the Mbuya masks, realistic, produced every ten years, take on a festive function, and embody different characters that are difficult to differentiate without their costume, including the chief ...

Old grain pestle whose center is carved with two faces. One of them is represented sticking out his tongue, a gesture with symbolic connotation in rituals against witchcraft. Smooth and glossy honey-coloured patina. Desication cracks.
The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembe, the Bwende, the Dondo/Kamba, the Yombé and the Kôngo constituted the Kôngo group, led by King Ntotela. Their kingdom reached its peak in the 16th century with the trade in ivory, copper and the slave trade. From comparable beliefs and traditions, they produced statuary endowed with codified gestures in keeping with their vision of the world. Their realistic masks took part in initiation ceremonies and the funerals of notables, and their nailed fetish statues, nkondi, were charged with magical elements ...

Stocky, carried by ample feet, this sculpted figure offers a large head similar to a helmet mask. Among neighboring Kongo clans, the naked, squatting posture, sondama, evokes emergency action, attacking enemies in a supernatural way. The Hungaan, mixed with the Mbala, also carve similar figures. The headdress bears great similarities to the mukote headdress which among the Western Pende with which the Mbalashared mukanda circumcision rituals , became a symbol of the struggle against colonization in the early 20th century
Iconic pindi carvings were attributed to chief Mbala during his enthronement. Following a retreat of a few days, the royal insignia and charms were attributed to him, intended to fight the powers opposing hunting, social peace, and harvesting.
Grainy matte ...

A beak extends this African mask of the Dan Yacouba from the banks of the Cavally River, between Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia. This long curved beak, associated with a mask depicting a human face, would refer to the turaco, king of animals. The very dense headdress consists of multiple braids.
Glossy patina, small accidents.
End of beak eroded.
The Dan populations of the north known as Yacouba of the Ivory Coast and the Maou of Touba (Maouka), and those of the northeast of Liberia, after having borrowed them from the neighboring Mandé people, use them in the secret masculine ceremonies of which the Koma of the Maou Guerze of Liberia call it Nyomu . For some authors, it would appear during the Poro celebrations.
Ref. : "The Bird in the art of West Africa" F. ...

African art collection Amadeo Plaza Garcés.
Among the Asante, Ahanti, an ethnic group from Ghana (formerly the "Gold Coast"), the five-pillar seats are called asesedwa (dwa). However, the shape of this version is similar to that of the adinkra gwa chief's stool used by the Omanhene, chief of the Adinkra region.
Every head of the family had a stool, while women used a smaller version. Today, everyone uses them without distinction. Light patina, erosion and chips from use. Lit.: "Black African seats from the Barbier-Mueller Museum" ed. 5Continents

Three variants of this mask Kifwebe ( pl. Bifwebe) or "chasing death" (Roberts), of the society of the same name, are distinguished: the masculine (kilume) generally with a high crest, the feminine (kikashi) with a very low or even absent crest, and finally the tallest embodying power (kia ndoshi). This type of mask, still used today, seems to come from the border zone between the northern Luba and the Southeastern Songye. They are worn by a Kifwebe dancer in a state of "bwadi" trances, accessorized with a long braided costume and a long adornment in natural fibers attached to the contours of the mask, during major ceremonies. Height on base: 36 cm.
The Songye came from the Shaba region in the DRC and settled along the Lualaba River in the middle of savannah and forests. They are ...

Former French collection of African art The preserve of the secret male society of the ngil responsible for initiations, this type of elongated mask with an austere physiognomy appeared in groups at night, lit by numerous torches. This society, which no longer exists today, fought against witchcraft. The ngil consisted of a rite of purifying fire symbolized by the gorilla. Its intervention was also linked to the judicial function by designating the culprits of bad actions within the village. The Fang ethnic group, established in a region extending from Yaoundé in Cameroon to Ogooué in Gabon, never had political unity. The cohesion of the clans was maintained through religious and judicial associations such as the so and the ngil. Bleached patina, erosions and losses.

Ex-French collection of African art African mask Kwele Pipibuze, Pipibudze, ("the man") referring to the antelope or duinker, the main game of the kwele region. This type of mask was not always intended to be worn, but adorned the walls of the huts. Abraded patina, minor gaps.
Depending on the presence of horns and their arrangement, the masks are called pibibudzé, Ekuku zokou, etc...and are associated with ancestors or forest spirits, "ekuk". A 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 called Bwété borrowed from the Ngwyes, which was accompanied by obligatory initiation rites, they used at the end of the ceremonies in ...

Ex-French collection of African art The Biombo, a Kuba subgroup, live at the intersection of the Lulua and Kasai rivers in the DRC. It is during their initiation ceremonies and funerals that they use a specific African mask called cimwana, the latter presenting certain aesthetic characteristics recurring in the Kuba tribe, such as the use of patterns composed of triangular checkerboards in contrasting colors. Luba from Kasai, established among the Biombo, may also have influenced the style of their masks. This example carved from very dense wood and devoid of patterns displays contrasting color planes and a striated hairstyle in relief.
Abraded polychrome patina, losses, erosions and desiccation cracks.

Ex-French collection of African art .
Accompanying circumcision rites in the Ivindo Valley, this type of African mask had the role of entertaining or impressing by begging for donations for the young guests at the ceremonies. The wearer's costume was made of raffia fibers. Brown satin patina... Minor abrasions and chips. The Mahongwe, Obamba, Shamayé and Sango form with the Kota a group with similar rites and society. It is in the eastern part of Gabon that they live among the forests.

Referring to a moral value or dogma, or associated with a Lega proverb, this African statuette established on short legs spread apart, arms raised, offers an old abraded patina. Erosions.
The tribal art of the Lega, Balega, or Warega, is distinguished by its initiation statuettes, also made of ivory, some of which were kept in a basket intended for the highest ranking members of the Bwami of different communities. This type of tribal art statuette Iginga (Maginga in the plural), was the property of the high ranking members of the Bwami, a secret society admitting men and their wives, and governing social life. This organization was subdivided into initiatory stages, the highest being the Kindi. The statuettes were used as the aspirants were initiated. The Lega's particularity, ...

African Hemba mask split with a wide grin, referring to a primate. Brown patina, residual kaolin encrustations.
Height on base: 24 cm. Among the types of Hemba masks identified, an anthropomorphic type is reminiscent of statuary, while those such as our example depicting a monkey, the soko mutu, probably belonged, according to J.Kerchache, to the Bugabo and Bambudye secret societies. Its function remains unknown. The smallest specimens (about twenty centimeters) would have been carried in the hand during rites intended for the protection of the home and for fertility. Besides the janiform kabeja statuettes, the statues of male ancestors, guarded by the hereditary chief of each clan, the fumu mwalo, are called songiti. It was during the 18th century that the Hemba settled on the ...

African mask Conventional type Hemba, whose rounded jaw split with a large toothed grin is inspired by the features of a primate. Velvety matte patina, minor abrasions and cracking.
Among the types of Hemba masks identified, an anthropomorphic type is reminiscent of statuary, while those such as our example depicting a monkey, the soko mutu, probably belonged, according to J.Kerchache, to the Bugabo and Bambudye secret societies. Its function remains unknown. The smallest examples (around twenty centimeters) would have been carried by hand during rites intended for the protection of the home and fertility. In addition to the janiform kabeja statuettes, the statues of male ancestors, guarded by the hereditary chief of each clan, the fumu mwalo, are called songiti. It was during ...

Rattle used during epha divination processes, common practice among the Urhobo. In Urhobo sanctuaries, sculptures for ritual use are present among a diversity of objects of all kinds. This is a tablet with a sculpted handle, the motifs of which represent the appearance of the group's masks. The board has many perforations, a half shell and is attached. Brown patina of use.
The Urhobos, living near the northwest of the Niger Delta River, form the major ethnic group in Delta State among the 36 states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They speak Urhobo, a language of the Niger-Congo group. Along with the Isoko, whose art is similar, they are collectively known as Sobo. Their large sculptures representing the spirits of nature, Edjo, or the founding ancestors of the clan, to ...

In the east of the Igbo territory, among the Ada, this mask is commonly used. The name Opa mwa means "who carries a child". Another term also describes this mask: agbogho okumkpa , associated with the young girl of the okumkpa dances, although the wearers of the mask are always men mimicking women. Minor losses, desiccation cracks. Satin patina, polychrome highlights faded.