African Arts Gallery

Coated with a thick oxidized patina, this very refined work in black iron highlights field work.
Established in central and southern Mali, in a savannah zone, the Bambara, "Bamana" or "unbelievers", as the Muslims have named them, belong to the large Mande group, along with the Soninke and the Malinke. Mainly farmers, but also breeders, they make up the largest ethnic group in Mali. The Bambara nyamakala artisan groups, more specifically the blacksmiths named numu, are in charge of carving ritual objects, endowed with the nyama , occult energy. Using fire and magic items, they are further assigned the role of healer and diviner.
Their powers are passed on to their wives, who alone have the right to produce the pottery.

Insignia of power among the Tetela-Hamba who carried it for their meetings of initiates nkumi , this type of backrest, which also served as a seat, was also used among the Kuba, the Lélé, the Songye and the Nkutshu. This rare little stool rests here on two asymmetrical legs, the part resting on the ground carved with a face with the characteristics of the group. On the flat oval shape are inscribed geometric decorative motifs, an outgrowth symbolizing legs extends it. Slightly satiny brown patina.
Ref. : "Design in Africa, sit, lie down, dream." ed Dapper Museum.

Comparable in structure to the Opa asen memorial sticks of the Fon, these sticks, among the Yoruba of neighboring Nigeria, were emblems featuring birds. Intended for diviners, they could be used for divination ceremonies linked to the god of herbalists and occult sciences, Osanyin, or to that of divination, Orunmila. The material, iron, and the forged patterns, here the points, symbolize the herbalist's ability to penetrate nature in order to extract therapeutic substances.

Primitive Lega sculptures in African art. In spite of a flat volume engraved with lines in low relief, this mask remains powerfully expressive. Smooth satin patina. This African Lega mask indicated the stage that its holder had reached in the Bwami, an apprenticeship society composed of different grades, which was joined by wives whose spouses had reached the third level, that of ngandu . Total height on pedestal: 25 cm.
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. Also known as Warega, these individuals live in autonomous ...

Throwing weapon with a detailed anthropomorphic motif reminiscent of the deble sculptures of the Senufo. Old matt, dark and velvety patina. Abrasions.
Mainly farmers, the Senoufo group inhabit a region of savannahs that covers southern Mali and Burkina Faso, and northern Côte d'Ivoire. It encompasses about fifty sub-ethnic groups. The Senoufo speak a Voltaic language Gur, Gour, like the Lobi and the Koulango. Living in a reserved area, the Senufo sculptor, whose training spanned seven years, began by making everyday objects, then, little by little, sported increasingly large sculptures. Initiatory rituals completed his learning. Ref. : https://www.art-tribal.fr/art-tribal/livres-art-africain/Sieges-d-Afrique-noire/22180.

Male figure of tetela inspiration, and whose posture indicates combativeness. This is the reactive, energetic warrior pose called pakalala. Oily black patina. Desication cracks, losses.
Scattered throughout the Kasai basin, the Tetela of Mongo origin have been the source of incessant conflicts with their neighbors. They also participated extensively in the slave trade. Their very diversified sculpture is marked by the influence of the groups living in contact with them: in the North, their art was subjected to the influence of the populations of the forest such as the Mongo, in the northwest that of the Nkutschu, and to the west that of Binji and Mputu. Kuba traditions have also been a source of inspiration, as well as those of the Songye in the southwest. Their fetishes are kept ...

Milk container made of a hollowed-out calabash, on which is attached a strap made of animal skin, embroidered with cowrie shells. Some of them are missing. The surface of a beautiful orange must have been polished with cocoa butter, shea butter, etc. Some of them, with a narrow neck, were used as a churn to make butter.
Among the Kalendjins of Nilotic origin living in East Africa, the Pokot live in Uganda and western Kenya, in the arid region extending from Lake Turkana to the south of Lake Baringo. These tribes, who were able to withstand a very harsh environment, had to be content with few possessions, which defined the social status of their owner. The means of subsistence is their livestock, frequently included in the dowry.

Ex-French collection of African art African mask Kwele Pipibuze, Pipibudze, ("the man") symbolizing the light and clairvoyance required to overcome witchcraft. The zoomorphic attributes evoke the antelope or duinker, the main game of the kwele region. This type of mask was not always intended to be worn, but decorated the walls of the huts. Two-tone patina, erosions.
Depending on the presence of horns and their arrangement, the masks are called pibibudzé, Ekuku zokou, etc... and are associated with the ancestors or spirits of the forest, " 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, ...

African sculpture Sango surmounting the Mbumba reliquaries. Abraded shiny patina. Desiccation cracks.
Among the Shira-Punu group, the Massango , Mashango, Sango, Sangu, settled on the Chaillu massif in Gabon and in the province of Ngounié. The use of baskets and also reliquary packages for the bones of the deceased, on which sculptures of this type were enthroned, was widespread throughout Gabon, among the Fang, the Kota, but also the Mitsogho and the Massango , among whom this cult takes the name of Bumba , Mbumba.

French collection of African art, the name of the collector will be communicated to the purchaser.
In primitive art, this tribal mask from Gabon was linked to the country's various secret societies, such as the Bwiti, the Bwete, and the Mwiri ("to lead"). The latter included several levels of initiation and was composed of all Punu men, its emblem being the caiman. Unlike the Tsogo, the Punu did not use any masks during Bwiti rituals. These powerful secret societies, which also had a judicial role, were marked by several dances, including the leopard dance, the Esomba, the Mukuyi, and the Okuyi dance, performed on stilts, which remained the most popular. This facial mask, whitened with kaolin and representing a deceased woman, was worn during the dance called Okuyi.

Ex-French collection of African art African mask of the Guro, offering fine features coated with a patina of a bright red. Height on base: 35 cm.
Among the group of Mande of the south, in the center of Ivory Coast, on the banks of the Bandama, the Gouro are organized into lineages, and constitute the western neighbors of the Baoulé who have borrowed several characteristics of their creations of African tribal art. Animists, they have used since the 1950s a family of masks associated with the Zaouli dance. Indeed, like the African Goli masks of the Baoulé, all the Guro masks, relating to the spirits of nature, are divided into two zoomorphic masks followed by a third anthropomorphic one, which is considered to be the wife of the zamblé mask, the Gu. Their protective spirits ...

Belgian collection of African art African knives or swords were sometimes parade weapons, such as this ancient weapon whose wooden handle is next to metal ribbons. The oxidized blade has fine hatching patterns, slightly abraded. In the northwest of Zaire, south of Oubangui, live the 6000 Moswea-Ngombe of Bantu language. Their neighbors are the Ngbandi and the Ngbaka and various Banda groups. They did not know any god but expected favors from their ancestors, among which health and prosperity. Their throwing knives used for hunting were used as currencies.
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The African sculptures of individual protection kakudjis, used by the Hemba, the Kusu and the Kasongos, were inspired by the Songye fetishes. The latter, free of magical charge, offers a hermaphroditic character and geometric volumes.
Black glossy patina. Erosions and cracks.
The Kusu established on the left bank of the Lualaba have borrowed the artistic traditions of the Luba and the Hemba and have a caste system similar to that of the Luba. The Kasongos form a Kusu subgroup, now dispersed among the Luba, Songye and Hemba. The singiti statues were kept by the fumu mwalo and honored during ceremonies during which sacrifices were offered to them. In parallel with the authority of the hereditary chiefs, secret societies, male such as the bukazanzi , and female, the ...

Ex-Belgian collection of African art Of divine origin for his subjects, the king is represented sitting cross-legged on the royal platform, unable to touch the ground. This type of statue considered magical was originally carved in a wood resistant to termites. ibol symbols associated with his reign generally allow him to be identified. Both head of the kingdom and of the Bushoong chiefdom, "nyim", supernatural abilities from witchcraft or ancestors were attributed to him. He therefore ensured the sustainability of his subjects, whether through harvests, rain or the birth of children. These magical attributes were not hereditary, however.
Reddish-brown matte patina. Cracks. During the last days of the king's life, the commemorative statue was placed at his bedside so that it would ...

Belgian collection of African art .
The regalia of the Tchokwe in African art
Chokwe ritual spoon with a meticulously sculpted anthropomorphic handle. Velvety brown patina. Of Lunda origin, the Lwena , Luena, emigrated from Angola to Zaire in the 19th century, pushed back by the Chokwe. Some became slave traders, others, the Lovale, found refuge in Zambia. The Lwena became known for their sculptures embodying figures of ancestors and deceased chiefs, and their masks linked to the initiation rites of the mukanda . Their sculpture was largely influenced by that of the Chokwe. Source: "Chokwe", B. Wastiau

Collection of African Belgian art.
This Yaka Kholuka mask, said of circumcision and initiation of young boys, marks the end of the period of confinement. These African masks represent various degrees of the hierarchy of initiates, and as the personal imagination can express itself freely in them, they are very varied. The set is well preserved. The representation of the upturned nose is quite characteristic of the Yaka ethnic group. The headdress is emblematic of the ethnic group. Yaka society is extremely hierarchical and authoritarian. The head of lineage indeed has the right of life and death over his subjects. As often, the artistic movement of the ethnic group was influenced by neighboring populations. For the Yaka, the influence comes mainly from the Suku and Kongo ethnic ...

Used by the Ashanti and the Fantis of Ghana, the Akuaba doll-statuettes (plural Akua'mma) are amulets used by Ashanti women to promote fertility. They are easily identifiable by their stylized appearance. Their flat, circular head has a high forehead occupying the upper part, the features are generally drawn in the lower third of the head. A mark of beauty, the ringed neck also symbolizes prosperity. Worn on the backs of women, these statues are also accompanied by various rites, such as the ingestion of a potion, or the arrangement of the object on the family altar. After the birth of the child, the sculpture serves as a toy, and sometimes still offered to the healer in order to witness its effectiveness. Smooth black patina, abrasions.

Ex-French collection of African art .
African mask with an animal character used during specific dances. Its zoomorphic character evokes the spirits of the forest. Abraded two-tone patina, desiccation crack. Height on base: 74 cm.
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 the ekuk masks evoking the antelope whose horns join in a loop under the chin. The blood of the antelope was also used by the Kwélé for therapeutic purposes. They produce rare statues linked to the initiation rites of young people.

Former French collection of African art.
Slingshot or slingshot with human motif, pretty satin patina.
Children used this type of tool for hunting small game.
In Côte d'Ivoire, the most ordinary African objects had to meet aesthetic criteria. Furniture, finery, utensils, fabrics, are a pretext for refined artistic expression on the part of artisans and sculptors. The latter, mainly farmers, practice this activity as a complement. Some of them also produce pieces for neighboring ethnic groups.

From a wickerwork base rises a carved wooden subject stretched with leather. The headdress is made of human hair, the teeth of metal. The dancer's costume was made of a large lattice of raffia cords, and, more recently, of cotton fabric. The masks were coated with palm oil before use, and placed in daylight so that their leather would soften and adopt a satisfactory luster. Leopard societies, such as the male society Kpe, Ngbe among the Aro, used this model of crests for initiation ceremonies or funerals of members of the association, but also during agricultural rituals. This type of African cephalomorphic mask, which would originally represent the trophy head of an enemy, is found among the Efik, the Keaka, the Banyang, the Boki, Ibibio, etc. These African masks were originally ...

Yoruba scepter-altar composed of various animal and human subjects. The Yoruba religion is based on artistic sculptures with coded messages (aroko). These spirits are supposed to intercede with the supreme god Olodumare. Some subjects also represent flutists in reference to divinities associated with divination. The figure in blue with its double axe refers to the god Sango. Polychrome patina flaking, minor losses and cracks.
The Yoruba, more than 20 million, occupy the southwest of Nigeria and the central and southeast region of Benin under the name of Nago. They are patrilineal, practice excision and circumcision. Centered on its multiple gods or orisa, the Yoruba religion is illustrated by its altars on which sacrifices are practiced. Arts and coded messages, àroko, are thus ...