African Arts Gallery

Worn on the left to protect the forearm from impacts, this functional adornment was intended for archers. In Rwanda, the Tutsi used a pad covered with grass, and wooden protections called igitembe were therefore rare. Minor abrasions. Height on base: 28 cm.
A nomadic people, the Tutsi were particularly decimated by the Islamic slave trade and by recurring internal wars. The population groups called "Interlacustrine Bantu", established between Lake Victoria and the Limpopo River, include the Ganda, Nyoro, Nkole, Soga, Toro, Hima, and the Tutsi of Rwanda and Burundi. Their cultures have similarities, as do their artistic production and their objects of daily use. The Tutsi raise livestock. They also excel in the art of weaving and basketry. Source: "Africa, the art of a continent" ...

Sculpted according to the indications of the diviner after consultation, embodying a type of "ideal spouse", this female figure offers most of the criteria which distinguish traditional Baoulé sculpture relating to "spouses of the beyond" (African Art Western Eyes, Baule ", Vogel, p.253 to 257).
Chip, small abrasions.
Two types of statues are produced by the Baoulé in the ritual context: The Waka-Sona statues, “being of wood” in Baoulé, evoke an assié oussou, being of the earth. They are part of a type of statue intended to be used as a medium tool by the komien diviners, the latter being selected by the asye usu spirits in order to communicate revelations from the beyond. The second type of statues are the spouses of the afterlife, male, the Blolo bian or female, the ...

Figure "Waka -Sona", "est of wood, ED" in baoulé, carved in dense wood, presents a light brown patina. Both hands of the character rest on the bulging abdomen. This gesture of life refers to parentage. Two types of statues Waka-Sona are produced by the baoulé in the ritual framework: those that evoke a assius oussou, being from the earth, and are part of a set of statues intended to be used as a medium tool by the Komian soothsayers, the latter being selected by the asye usu spirits in order to communicate the revelations of the afterlife. The second type of statues are the spouses of the afterlife, male, Blolo bian or female, the blolo bia . About 60 ethnic groups populate Côte d'Ivoire, including the Baoulé in the centre, Akans from Ghana, the savannah people, hunting and farming, as ...

In the North-Central region of the Ibo cultural area, around Nsukka, it is during the dry season or on the occasion of funerals of notables that the conical masks (Ekpe-Ojukwu) accompanied the giant Ekwe mask. Most Igala masks also have these parallel striations on the faces. Matte patina, desiccation cracks. The Igbo are established in the southern region of the Niger Delta in Nigeria. The Igbo religion includes on the one hand the god Chuku, supreme creator, and on the other hand the spirit of the earth Ala. Their masks come out for funerals, initiation ceremonies for young boys, and now during secular festivals. Ref.: "Igbo Arts" Herbert M. Cole and Chike C. Aniakor.

African art among the Fang.

Formerly called Pahouins, the Fang form a very large ethnic group settled, following migrations, in Central Africa, in the three republics of Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. In the shape of a barrel, this mask offers, framed by thick ears, stylized human features and eyebrows in continuous perforations. At the top, the circular headdress allowed the insertion of large feathers. Linked to ancestor worship, the Byéri, this mask was responsible for discerning troublemakers, especially sorcerers. It comes out these days for entertainment parties. He now also appears at parties, funerals, baby showers, and on the occasion of an important decision within the village. It was also worn by Fang Okak and Ntoumou, Ntumu men from Equatorial Guinea ...

Three legs support the rectangular top of this African headrest decorated with two similar busts. The glossy wood tray is of a mahogany tone while the statuettes adopt a dark patina. Very slight erosion. Tribe of the Tabwa group, the Rungu are established in a region between the D.R.C. (Democratic Republic of Congo), Zambia and Tanzania. Under the influence of the neighboring Lubas and Bemba, the Rungu produced prestigious objects for dignitaries, stools, combs, spoons and scepters, frequently decorated with figures of couples or twins. Their king, called mwéné tafuna , lives in Zambia. A women's association, Kamanya , has dolls like those of the Tabwas.

A slender figure evoking a mythical ancestor, a nommos, a primordial being in Dogon mythology. Reddish-brown patina.
Dogon blacksmiths form an endogamous caste among the Dogon called irim. Today, they produce weapons, tools, and also work with wood. "Masters of fire" associated in Dogon cosmogony with the primordial beings "Nommo" created by the god Ama, they are also supposed to heal burns. Small metal objects, made using the lost wax technique, were widespread in the region of the inner Niger Delta, copper arriving there thanks to trans-Saharan trade. Excavations on the Bandiagara Plateau have indeed uncovered remains of steelmaking sites prior to the 15th century, the date of the arrival of the Dogon. The Nommo, a protective ancestor evoked in different forms in Dogon ...

Old Lula fetish statuette offering some aspects of the traditional sculpture of its close neighbors: Nkanu, Holo, Zombo and Yanzi. These sculptures were intended to protect individuals or the clan, but could also aim to bring good luck, particularly when hunting, or to increase fertility.
Erosions and cracks, satin patina of ochre tint.
This ethnic group close to the Yaka is settled along the Nséki River in the southwest of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Lula live in small autonomous villages, hunting and fishing.
We notice on their sculptures scarifications close to those of the Téké while the headdresses and the general morphology of the objects are close to the art of the Yaka.

Ritual horn loaded with fetish materials, in order to promote hunting, cure diseases, facilitate childbirth, etc. The sculpted subject, associated with the ancestors, indicates that the secrets of royalty, bizila belong to women thanks to their role as political and spiritual intermediaries. The hairstyle was composed of braids and copper wires, the look is encrusted with metal. Dark satin patina.
The Lubas (Baluba in Tchiluba) are a people of Central Africa. Their cradle is Katanga, more precisely the region of the Lubu River, thus the name (Baluba "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 venerated since in the form of a python. In the 16th century they created a state, ...

French collection of African art
Height on base: 15 cm.
Greenish patina. The Dogon of Mali are known for their frequent representations of horsemen, which echo their cosmogony and their complex religious myths. According to these stories, one of the Nommos, ancestors of men, was resurrected by the creator god Amma and descended to earth carried by an ark transformed into a horse. In addition, during his enthronement, the highest religious authority of the Dogon people, the religious leader called Hogon, paraded on his mount, not being allowed to set foot on the ground according to custom. In the region of the Sangha cliffs, where access by horse is impossible, the priests carried him, evoking the mythical ancestor Nommo by neighing. The Dogon blacksmiths, forming an ...

Ex-Belgian collection of tribal art.
This terracotta subject represents a dwarf of the Benin court. The sunken gaze generally indicates blindness. Restoration at the level of one foot. Small erosions on the headdress.
In African art, the art of the ancient kingdom of Benin is described as a court art because it is closely associated with the king, known as Oba.
The dwarves of the king's entourage, who appeared in the 15th century, were intended not only for diversion, but also for surveillance. Occult gifts were indeed attributed to them. According to Fagg, these characters were also acrobats and illusionists. Their bronze figures were to adorn the altars of the ancestors.

Within the group named Shira, the Lumbu Loumbu, Balumbu, or even Mbumba, of Bantu origin and originally from the Congo kingdom, settled on the coastal part of Gabon, and in the Republic of Congo, in the middle Ogooue. They keep the bones of their ancestors in reliquary baskets decorated with statuettes, heads, and other prestigious objects. This type of sculpture "reliquary guardian", evocation of a deceased woman, was also exhibited during Bwiti ceremonies, ancestor worship also shared by the neighboring Tsogho. The eyes are glazed as in the statuary of the neighboring Kongo groups. Minor abrasions.

The pictograms of the African Teke masks of Gabon emphasize oppositions symbolizing duality in the universe: these circular masks offer a surface decorated with geometric patterns painted using often polychrome pigments.
In addition to lunar symbolism, these pictograms refer to regional body scarifications.
Velvety patina. Only the Tsaayi, among the Teke subgroups of Gabon, produced wooden masks from the mid-20th century. They were used by members of the secret male brotherhood kidumu (kidumu is the name of the society, the dance, and the mask), during the funerals of village notables or during weddings and other important ceremonies. They have appeared more and more, since the independence of the Congo, at celebrations.

Ex-French collection of African art African fetish depicting a gorilla. The head is composed of an authentic animal skull, which extends at the top with a hollowed-out bone for a magical charge.
This animal statue has a locally abraded dark gray patina and clay deposits.
Losses and cracks from desiccation.
The Boulou, an ethnic group of the Fang group, live in Cameroon, on the border of Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Congo, on a vast plateau in the equatorial forest near the Bakwele whose customs and traditions are comparable. Like the Fang of South Cameroon with their white masks of justice, the Boulou have also used the Ngil ritual to counter witchcraft and poisoning. Future initiates, following their integration into the secret society, identify with the Ngi, a ...

A crenellated body established on thick feet distinguishes these African statues supposed to embody the ancestors. A large concave face, with bulging pupils, projects forward, accompanied by the flexion of the arms. Thick dark cracked patina, erosions and desiccation cracks.
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 ...

African mask of the northern Yaka, with a handle, whose face is surrounded by a raised border. The Zombo also used similar masks sculpted by the Yaka. Height on base: 50 cm. Matte patina.

Hierarchical and authoritarian, composed of fearsome warriors, the Yaka society was governed by lineage chiefs with the right of life and death over their subjects. Hunting and the prestige that comes from it are an opportunity these days for the Yaka to invoke the ancestors and resort to rituals using charms linked to the "khosi" institution. The initiation society for young people is the n-khanda, which is found among the eastern Kongo (Chokwe, Luba, etc.), and which uses various charms and masks in order to ensure a vigorous lineage.
(C.M.Faïk-Nzuji, The Power of the Sacred ; Yaka ...

Ex-collection Italian African art.

Female figure from the Kangulungu region sculpted in a naturalist style, with the famous half-closed female gaze, "zanze". Represented naked, fingers joined on the sternum, she adopts an expression of contemplation. These statues were generally part of a fertility cult and were kept in a room in the chief's house. Matte red ochre patina. Abrasions. The Western Pende live on the banks of the Kwilu, while the Eastern settled on the banks of the Kasaï downstream from Tshikapa. The influences of the neighboring ethnic groups, Mbla, Suku, Wongo, Leele, Kuba and Salempasu were imprinted on their large sculpture of tribal art. Within this diversity the masks Mbuya, realistic, produced every ten years, have a festive function, and embody ...

French collection of African tribal art .
Uncommon type of African mask igbo-ada, distinguished by its minimalism and the blade reminiscent of a yam knife. It appeared during the dry season to highlight notions of virility. Matte patina, crusty residual deposits of yellow, white, and brown hues.
The Igbo are established in the southern region of the Niger Delta in Nigeria. The Ada or Edda, of which the Afikpo are a part, form an Igbo subgroup established in the southeast of Nigeria, near the Cross River.
Their political system is complex and little known. The village constitutes the most important social unit, the smallest being the extended family. The Igbo religion includes on the one hand the god Chuku, supreme creator, considered omnipotent, omniscient and ...

Borrowed from the Igbo of the Cross River, the African masks Idoma crests also relate to warrior masquerades. A raffia hoop underlines the base of the mask symbolizing a water spirit, anjenu,. The scarification that divides the forehead is typical of the Idoma, as are the prominent scars along the face.

Matte patina, old restorations.
The Idoma settled at the confluence of the Benue and the Niger. The members of the royal lineage of their oglinye society, glorifying courage, use masks and crests during funerals and festivities. The janiform crests are generally exhibited at the funerals of notables. Members of the male society Kwompten, for their part, used statues called goemai in healing rituals. Ref. "Arts of Nigeria" 5Continents.

The two faces next to each other, whose colors oppose each other, would refer to the complementarity of man-woman, but also the beneficial one of twins. This mask is linked to the entertainment festivals of the ndoma cult. The motifs inscribed in relief, ngole, represent keloid scarifications. These portrait masks of the Baoulé, ndoma, which are part of one of the oldest Baoulé artistic traditions and frequently represent an idealized character, have the particularity of appearing at the end of entertainment dance ceremonies .The latter are named, depending on the region, bedwo, ngblo, mblo, adjussu, etc... . Each of these masks is distinguished by the hairstyles, the location and choice of scarifications, etc. Also called Gbagba, they personify graceful young girls or men whose ...

Ex-French collection African tribal art The African masks Kwele from Gabon have a small concave face in which the reliefs are composed of almond-shaped eyes and a triangular nose. Generally hidden in the jaw line, the mouth is drawn in a thin incision. Depending on the presence of horns and their arrangement, the masks are called pipibudzé , Ekuku zokou , etc... and are associated with the ancestors or spirits of the forest, " ekuk ".

Velvety matte patina. Erosions and cracks.
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 ...