African Arts Gallery

Stick topped with an effigy of a dignitary biting into a hallucinogenic root. Glossy black patina, cracks.
The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, the Bwende, the Yombe 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. The Yombe settled on the West African coast, in the southwest of the Republic of Congo and in Angola. With the same beliefs and traditions, these groups produced statuary with codified gestures related to their vision of the world. The Nganga sorcerers, who were both healers, were in charge of religious activities and mediation towards the God called Nzambi through consecrated figures. For this purpose, protective figures minkisi (pl.) are ...

Former French collection of African art
Ornaments marking social status, but also magical protections, African adornments and bronzes: Large prestige ring whose subjects in high relief, referring to the Lobi ancestors, were supposed to protect the holder. Many rings were produced in the southwest of Burkina Faso, also having a monetary value for the dowry for example.
The populations of the same cultural region, grouped under the name "lobi", form a fifth of the inhabitants of Burkina Faso. Few in number in Ghana, they also settled in the north of the Ivory Coast. It was at the end of the 18th century that the Lobi, coming from Northern Ghana, settled among the indigenous Thuna and Puguli, the Dagara, the Dian, the Gan and the Birifor. The Lobi believe in a creator God ...

Ex-French collection of African art Small version of the circular African mask , called "junior", with stylized features and teeth referring to the traditional filing of teeth among young people. Generally preceding the manifestation of a series of masks of the " Goli " family, this mask with rounded horns evokes the antelope. It appears briefly during the day and then in the evening to announce the arrival of its relatives in the guise of the goli glin or the kpwan. It is during events such as epidemics or funerals that its manifestation occurred among the Wan and the Baoulé, in order to conciliate the favors of the "amwin" spirits who dispense prosperity, health or even security. It appears nowadays during festive events, the Goli gradually replacing all other masked dances, ...

Lobi slingshot with a carved figure that serves as an amulet. This type of object was used by children to hunt small game or birds. Lustrous patina, minor cracking.
The populations of the same cultural region, grouped under the name "lobi", make up a fifth of the inhabitants of Burkina Faso. Few in number in Ghana, they have also settled in the north of Côte d'Ivoire. It was at the end of the 18th century that the Lobi, coming from Northern Ghana, settled among the indigenous Thuna and Puguli, the Dagara, the Dian, the Gan and the Birifor. The Lobi believe in a creator God named Thangba Thu, whom they address through the worship of many intermediary spirits, the Thil, the latter being supposed to protect them, with the help of the diviner, against a host of plagues.

A central African people based in Kasai, a neighbour of the Kuba, the Ndengese form one of the clans of a common ancestor Mongo, some of them from upper Nile. They produced statues of art first to the absent or truncated lower limbs, covered with graphic symbols, symbolizing the prestige of the leader. The flared hairstyle topped with a summit horn is characteristic of the hairstyles acquired by the Totshi chefs belonging to the association ikoho and evokes particular proverbs. It symbolizes respect, intelligence and maturity. The face seems to be in meditation. The neck has a sling. The bust bears losangic scarifications in relief, with the aim of differentiating socially and aesthetically. The clasped hands highlight the protruding umbilical. Dark brown patina abraded. Desication ...

African mask figurative Idoma offering the traditional keloids. This mask was intended for funeral rites. Black granular patina. Cracks at the top. Height on base: 45 cm.
The Idoma settled at the confluence of the Benue and the Niger. Numbering 500,000, they are made up of farmers and traders. The neighborhood and therefore the influences of the Igbo, those of the ethnic groups of the Cross River and Igala have generated stylistic borrowings. The members of the royal lineage of their oglinye society, glorifying courage, use masks and crests during funerals and festivities. They also produce fertility statues with whitened faces and exhibiting incised teeth. The janiform crests are generally exhibited at the funerals of notables. Members of the male Kwompten society, for their ...

French collection of tribal art In African art, the sowei constitute, through the Mende culture, the feminine ideal. The top of this stick honors women.
Dark semi-matte patina, minor abrasions.
The Mende, Vaï and Gola cultures of Sierra Leone, Liberia and the west coast of Guinea are known in African art for their helmet masks, particularly those of the Sandé female initiation society that prepares young girls for marriage. The male society is the Poro society. A relatively rare occurrence in sub-Saharan Africa, Bundu masks are made by men and worn by women.

Belgian collection of African art.
In tribal art, the Lega statuettes were part of a set used during initiations into Bwami society. The teacher guided the aspirant where African Lega 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 these objects, true metaphors largely referring to proverbs and sayings. Glossy patina, desiccation cracks.
Within the Lega, the Bwami society open to men and women, organized social and political life. There were up to seven levels of initiation, each associated with emblems. Following their exodus from Uganda during the 17th century, the Lega settled on the west bank of the Lualaba River in the DRC. The role of chief, kindi, is held by the ...

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 ...

Among the clans living in the north of the Uituri region, the Nkunda society of diviners used this type of African mask called Nsembu in male-female pairs. Matte patina. Height on base: 40 cm.
The Kumu, Bakumu, Komo, live mainly in the Northeast and center of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their Bantu language is Komo or Kikomo. Several ethnic groups are closely intertwined, with similar associations: the Mbole, the Yela, the Lengola, and the Metoko. Their artistic production also presents great similarities with that of the Metoko and the Lengola. Their divination masks were exhibited during the closing ceremonies of the initiation and circumcision of the young people of the nkunda society. It is in fact in the Maniema region around the Lualaba River and the Great Lakes that ...

African sculpture representing a female ancestor. Generally made of iroko, these ritual statues "singiti" (pl.) were venerated by a particular clan and stored in funerary premises in the chief's house. Matte patina. Erosions, losses.
The Hemba, established in the south-east of Zaire, on the right bank of the Lualaba, were for a long time subject to the neighbouring Luba empire which had a certain influence on their culture, religion and art. The cult of ancestors, whose effigies have long been attributed to the Luba, is central to Hemba society. Genealogy is indeed the guarantor of privileges and the distribution of land. All aspects of the community are imbued with the authority of the ancestors. Thus, these are considered to have an influence on justice, medicine, law and ...

Symbol of animal qualities, this statuette, forming the generic figure of a quadruped (mugugundu) from the Lega environment, belonged to a high-ranking Bwami. Kaolin patina. Eclats.br /-Following their exodus from Uganda during the 17th century, the Lega settled on the west bank of the Lualaba River in the DRC. Also known as Warega, these individuals live in self-contained villages surrounded by palisades, usually on the top of hills. The role of the chief, kindi , is held by the oldest man of the clan, who must be the highest ranked. As in other forest tribes, men hunt and clear while women grow cassava. The Bwami, a secret society admitting men and their wives, governed social life. This organization was subdivided into initiation stages, the highest being the Kindi . Bwami has varying ...

African mask initiated by the Lega or the Leka east of the Lualaba River, whose society, the Bukota, welcomes both men and women , is the equivalent of the Bwami association of the Lega. The two adjoining faces offer concave faces underlined by regular perforations, the mouths are notched.
The Leka sculptures, subject to the influence of the neighboring Mbole, Lega and Binja, played a role during initiation, funeral or circumcision ceremonies, and were then placed on the tomb of high-ranking initiates. Each of these figures had a name and a meaning for educational purposes, following the example of lega traditions. Chipped kaolin patina.

Ex. French collection of African art.
Small mask with a mouth that forms an articulated beak Matte patina encrusted with kaolin residue. Height on base: 28 cm.
The Ogoni live along the coast of Nigeria, near the mouth of the Cross-River, south of the Igbo and west of the Ibibio. Their sculptures vary from village to village, but are mainly renowned for their masks with articulated jaws often revealing pointed teeth. Their masks were generally worn during funerals, festivities accompanying planting and harvesting, but also nowadays to welcome distinguished guests. The acrobatic demonstrations linked to the karikpo celebration, and accompanied by the kere karikpo drum, were also an opportunity to exhibit various zoomorphic masks.

Depicted in a recurring posture, the subject wearing a double flat crest represents an individual who has transgressed moral laws. Black patina, flaked residue of kaolin.
The province of Lualaba had several close ethnic groups with similar associations. The Mbole are known for their statues embodying, according to D. Biebuck, hanged men, called ofika. The lilwa, an association with dogmatic initiation rites, had the custom of judging and condemning to hanging those guilty of infractions of the imposed rules. These infractions ranged from murder to adultery to the breaking of the secret surrounding the lilwa. Dishonored, the bodies of the condemned were not given any funeral and were buried in the forest. It was during the end of initiation ceremonies, presided over by a notable ...

Support of a sacred power because embodying the mythical ancestor vuvi, the African mask Pové, among the very great diversity of Okandé, Membé masks, of the tribes of central Gabon, adopts a volume of low depth. Recalling the Tsogho masks, this mask which was sculpted by an initiate on the eve of ritual ceremonies, manifests itself during mourning of personalities or to exercise a form of justice. Established in the Ogooué basin, the Okandé group of Membé language, neighbor of the Punu, Pounou, is composed of the Tsogho, Pové (Vuvi), Okandé, Evea, and Apindji ethnic groups. These ethnic groups practice the cult of Mwiri, a male initiatory society. Height on base: 52 cm.
Matte patina, cracks and losses. Source: “Masks of Gabon”, ed. Sillages.

Everyday objects in African art .
The tribal art of the Dan also presents utilitarian and prestigious objects, including the famous carved wooden spoons, Wakemia, 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 brandish it during the "dances of the hospitable woman". The spoon has a handle carved with an animal motif. Dark satin patina, minor cracks and shine.

For the Dan of Côte d'Ivoire, also called Yacouba, two very distinct worlds oppose each other: 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. For these spirits to settle, a specific area of ​​the ...

Former French collection of tribal art. Melanesia, in the Pacific Ocean, includes Papua (Irian Jaya), Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and the Solomon Islands. The population is the result of successive migrations resulting in racial heterogeneity reflected in many languages ​​and great artistic diversity. Most of these communities were organized into male societies with ceremonial huts in which statues, masks, and ritual objects were stored. The masks produced by these groups represent ancestral spirits in which they are incarnated. Funerary rituals honor the spirits in order to reach their ultimate destination. This Latmul mask from the banks of the Sepik River, decorated with shells, offers a gaze with protruding pupils, a nose with dilated nostrils, and a flat jaw. The ...

An old crusty patina of ochre hue adorns this beautifully stylized zoomorphic sculpture in black iron. The mammal evokes fertility and vigor.
Established in central and southern Mali, in a savannah area, the Bambara, "Bamana" or "unbelievers", as the Muslims called them, belong to the large Mande group, with the Soninke and the Malinke. Mainly farmers, but also breeders, they make up the largest ethnic group in Mali. The Bambara artisan groups nyamakala, more specifically the blacksmiths named numu , are in charge of sculpting ritual objects, endowed with nyama , occult energy. Using fire and magical objects, they are also given the role of healer and soothsayer.
Their powers are transmitted to their wives, who alone have the right to produce pottery.

Ex-French collection of African art.
This voluminous African Ogboni mask with a zoomorphic character evokes a world of dreamlike expressionism. Thick crusty patina locally flaking, chips.
The Ogoni live along the coast of Nigeria, near the mouth of the Cross-River, south of the Igbo and west of the Ibibio. Their sculptures vary from village to village, but are mainly renowned for their masks with articulated jaws like some Ekpo Ibibio masks. Their masks were generally worn during funerals, festivities accompanying planting and harvesting, but also more recently to welcome distinguished guests. The acrobatic demonstrations linked to the karikpo celebration, and accompanied by the kere karikpo drum, were also an opportunity to exhibit various zoomorphic masks.

At the center of Dogon cultural and religious life, the African mask is used by circumcised initiates of the Awa society, mainly during funeral ceremonies. This African Dogon mask, topped with an openwork board, constitutes one of the many stylistic variations of Dogon masks. More than eighty types of African masks are listed among the Dogon, the best known of which are the Kanaga, Sirigé, Satimbé, Walu. The Awa designates the masks, their costumes, and all the Dogons serving as masks. Some evoke animals, in reference to the rich cosmogony and mythology of African Dogon art. The "nyama", the vital force of the mask, is activated by different rituals in order to develop the full magical potential of the object. Matte, clear patina of use. Residues of colored pigments. Desiccation cracks.