African Arts Gallery

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”.

Ex-Belgian African art collection
Different forms of cups with similar designs, aimed at glorifying the qualities of their owners, were carved by the Kuba groups. Satin black patina, desication cracks. Native restoration.

The Kuba and the tribes established between the Sankuru and Kasai rivers are renowned for the refinement of prestige objects created for members of the high ranks of their society. They indeed produced anthropomorphic ceremonial objects with refined motifs including palm wine cups or poison oracles, drinking horns and goblets. Central African people established in Kasai, neighbor of the Kuba, the Ndengese form one of the clans descended from a common Mongo ancestor, some of them originating from the Upper Nile. They produced primitive art statues with ...

Cupbearers in traditional African art from Nigeria.
The priestess, cheeks marked with scarifications in three vertical "kpélé" claws, kneeling, presenting a lidded cup, in the shape of a bird, intended for offerings or divination. The subject's facial and bodily scarifications seek not only to enhance physical beauty, but also to identify the rank or origin of its bearer. Body marks could be permanent or temporary, such as tattoos made from the juice of insects or plants, especially for court dignitaries or the king himself. The Yoruba religion is based on artistic sculptures with coded messages (aroko). These spirits are said to intercede with the supreme god Olodumare.
Matte patina. Erosions, kaolin residues. Desication cracks.
Offering cups, some of which were used ...

Recurring within Tikar decorative art, figures with salient features, slender and arched limbs adorn this vase. Concentric and parallel patterns adorn the surface. Black patina with golden reflections. Abrasions.
The identity of the collector will be transmitted upon acquisition.
Located in the border region of Nigeria, the North West province of Cameroon, the Grassland is made up of several ethnic groups: Tikar, Anyang, Widekum, Chamba, Bamoun and Bamileke. The chiefs of the Cameroonian Grasslands, the Fon, reputed to hold treasures of works of art, including bracelets, necklaces, statues, bells, valued the founders and sculptors in the service of the kingdom. These productions, without which the chief would lose his prestige, aimed to magnify the role of the fon. The ...

Mipasi ancestor figure of African tribal art whose face bears the facial scarifications of the Batabwa clans. This prestigious object serves as a palm wine cup dedicated to ceremonial rites.
Smooth black patina, reddish reflections. Minor erosions.
In the South-East of the DRC, around Lake Tanganyika, simple farmers without centralized power, the Tabwa, federated around tribal chiefs after coming under the influence of the Luba. It was mainly during this period that their artistic current was expressed mainly through statues but also masks. The Tabwa practiced ancestor worship to which they dedicated some of their statues. Animists, their beliefs are anchored around the ngulu, spirits of nature present in plants and rocks.

Circular box made of wickerwork, with a lid that fits together. The dense, elaborate weaving incorporates certain geometric patterns borrowed from scarification, also visible on shoowa raffia textiles. The inner edge of the lid is missing.

The Kuba are renowned for the refinement of prestige objects created for the higher ranks of their society. The Lele live to the west of the Kuba kingdom and share common cultural characteristics with the Bushoong of Kuba country. Both groups decorate their prestige objects with similar motifs.
The extremely organized and hierarchical Kuba society placed at its center a king or nyim inspiring the statuary of the ethnic group.
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Source: Kuba, ed. 5continents, Binkley and Darish.

Dogon pots are used to store ointments, tobacco, but also serve to marabouts as oracle pots. This spherical container has a lid on which sits a horseman. Light green patina with ocher reflections.
Abrasions. The frequent depictions of horsemen 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 ...

Cephalomorphic cup with a long handle, among the prestigious insignia of the Pende. The lower part of the face, as if swollen, gradually joins the neck. A discreet point is enough to indicate the chin. The upturned nose softens the sketchy features where small holes show teeth, pupils and nostrils. A hairstyle is outlined, disappearing behind the horseshoe ears.
Satin black brown patina. Erosions of use, crack of desication.

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 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 ...

Embellished with motifs sculpted in bas-relief, this work of African art , a box fitted with two movable flaps, established on three legs, was probably designed to store active medicinal preparations prepared according to the councils of elders who had been initiated into the science of trees or "jiridon". Figures are meant to activate the healing power of actives. Matte patina.
The Dogon are a people renowned for their cosmogony, their esotericism, their myths and legends. Their population is estimated at around 300,000 souls living in the south-west of the Niger loop in the Mopti region of Mali (Bandiagara, Koro, Banka), near Douentza and part of northern Burkina (north-west of Ouahigouya ). The Dogon blacksmith artisans, forming an endogamous caste called irim, today produce ...

Vase with a neck showing a human head with large ears. Sets of incised motifs decorate the sides, which show female attributes. Brown slip with reddish glints. Abrasions. Related to the Mangbetu and Zande, the Boa inhabit the savannah in the north of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their anthropomorphic figures were undoubtedly used as part of rites charged with combating the witchcraft of the ndoki society. They are known for their mask with oversized ears, perforated like the ear pavilions of the Eastern Boa, the "bavobongo ". It gave an impressive appearance to its wearer, accentuated by the contrast of colors. The African art mask kpongadomba of the Boa was ordered by the chief kumu who offered it to the most valiant warrior. It was then kept in the hut of his wife. Some ...

Ex-Belgian African art collection.
A very sober Djenne-type container, whose orange-pink slip shines through despite the abrasion of the surface. Perforation on the base. As the old Djenne sites are all in a flood zone, artifacts emerge when the waters recede, with locals sometimes discovering them by chance.
In the Mali Empire, terracotta sculptures with red engobe had a funerary connotation.

Cylindrical container mboko intended for kaolin in relation to purity and the spiritual world. These containers were used by different Luba societies, and groups of prophets, more generally by the mediums of the Kilumbu, Bilumbu divination society, or by the healers of the society. Buhabo . It was a question, individually or collectively, of consulting the spirits of the ancestors through specialists. Matte patina, abrasions.

The Lubas (Baluba in Chiluba) 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 who has since been revered in the form of a python. In ...

Sculpture depicting subjects surrounding a lidded receptacle intended for votive offerings, gifts for visitors, or even divination. Sculptures of this type decorated the palaces of the Yoruba country. The characters evoke minor gods or ancestors.
Centered on the veneration of its gods, or orisà , the Yoruba religion is based on artistic sculptures with coded messages ( aroko ). These spirits are believed to intercede with the supreme god Olodumare.
Linear scarifications mark the faces of the figures in order not only to increase their physical beauty, but also to identify the rank or origin of their bearer. Body marks could be permanent or temporary, such as tattoos made from the juice of insects or plants, especially for court dignitaries or the king himself. Grainy matte ...

br>Belonging to a Fang lineage, this receptacle with high cylindrical bark walls is now devoid of ancestor relics. The carefully detailed male figure symbolizes the latter. A second, noticeably different subject adorns the outer wall. Patina of use. Among the Fang of Cameroon and those of Gabon, each family has a "Byeri", or reliquary box, in which the bones of the ancestors are kept. These boxes were guarded by the oldest man in the village, the "esa". The reliquary boxes were surmounted by a statue or a head which acted as guardian of the "byeri" boxes. These, intended to deflect evil influences, were kept in the hut. They were also used during initiation ceremonies for young people linked to the "So" society. During festivals, the statues could be separated from their boxes and ...

Ex-Belgian African art collection.
Container of great sobriety of the Djenne type, whose orange slip shows through under a thin beige film. The edges of the neck are slightly damaged.
As the old Djenne sites are all in a flood zone, deeds emerge when the waters recede, the inhabitants sometimes discovering them by chance.
In the Mali Empire, terracotta sculptures with red engobe had a funerary connotation.

Equipped with its pestle, this tobacco mortar accompanied, among other uses, rituals for ajimu spirits requiring the use of smoke. The carved figures evoke female masks mwana pwo associated with fertility and fecundity. Shaded lustrous patina.
. Peacefully settled in eastern Angola until the 16th century, the Chokwe were then subjected to the Lunda empire from which they inherited a new hierarchical system and the sacredness of power. Nevertheless, the Chokwe never fully adopted these new social and political contributions. Three centuries later, the Chokwe eventually took over the capital of the Lunda, which had been weakened by internal conflicts, thus contributing to the dismantling of the kingdom. The Chokwe did not have a centralized power but rather large chiefdoms. It was ...

Inspired by Portuguese Baroque, this chokwe tobacco pot offers a baluster foot made up of layered elements. It is crafted from checkered alveoli lined with volutes. These regal sculptures travelled with the court and were sometimes offered to other chefs. Tobacco use was indeed widespread among the Chokwe, and smoke was an integral part of offerings to the spirits ajimu. Use patina, cracks and abrasions of pigments.

Paisiblely 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 sanctity of power. Nevertheless, the Chokwé never fully embraced these new social and political contributions. Three centuries later, they eventually seized the capital of the Lunda, weakened by ...

The Kuba are renowned for the refinement of prestige objects created for members of the high ranks of their society. The Lélé live in the west of the Kuba kingdom and share common cultural specificities with the Bushoong of the Kuba country. Both groups adorn their prestige objects with similar motifs. The only ethnic group to create a variety of lidded containers in which individual goods were stored, the Kuba adorned them with patterns similar to those of embroidered textiles. Reddish residue inside probably comes from tool, a traditional cosmetic paste used by Kuba men and women. Dark brown satin patina, very good condition.

Decorated with brass slats, this ancient container from East Africa was designed by a nomadic people. The latter was particularly decimated by the Islamic slave trade and by recurrent infighting. Population groups called "Bantous interlacustres", located 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 everyday objects. The Tutsi raise cattle. They also excel in the art of weaving and basket making. This elongated pot features polished and satin walls, and clearly visible abrasions and impacts of use. Medium brown glossy patina.

Dogon blacksmith artists form an endogamous caste among the Dogon called irim. Nowadays they produce weapons, tools, and also work with wood. "Masters of fire", they are also supposed to heal burns (Huib Blom). The Nommo, protective ancestor evoked in different forms in Dogon iconography, would be an ancestor endowed with the ability to manifest himself in human or animal form, hence the frequent decorative motifs adorning the sculptures. The wavelet friezes are also symbolic, linked to creation. Red ocher patina.
The Dogon are a people renowned for their cosmogony, their myths and their rituals. Their population is estimated at around 300,000 souls living in the south-west of the Niger loop in the Mopti region of Mali (Bandiagara, Koro, Banka), near Douentza and part of northern ...

Adorned with bas-relief motifs and horse heads, this lidded vessel is believed to have been designed to store medicinal preparations on the advice of elders who had learned the science of trees or "jiridon ". Figures of "nommos", primordial ancestors, and animal symbols are believed to activate the healing power of the actives. One of the Nommos, ancestors of men, resuscitated by the creator god Amma, is said to have 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 ...