African Arts Gallery

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 ...

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 ...

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. ...

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.

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 ...

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.

Ex-French collection of African art .
Renowned in tribal art , African masks of the Fang type have attracted the interest of many artists.
Light grainy patina, erosions and desiccation cracks.
The Fang, established in a region extending from Yaoundé in Cameroon to Ogooué in Gabon, have never had political unity. The cohesion of the clans was maintained through religious and judicial associations such as the So and the Ngil. The appearance of masks generally coated with kaolin (the white color evokes the power of the ancestors), in the middle of the night, could cause fear. The secret male society Ngil, which no longer exists today, was responsible for initiations and fought against witchcraft. The ngil was a purifying fire rite symbolized by the gorilla. Guarantor ...

Bulky African mask of the Tabwas referring to a hero of mythology, symbolizing besides an ambivalent character, also a principle of power. Careful inlays of metal leaf and cowries enhance the toothed mouth, the dilated nostrils and the structure of the head. Black satin patina, small accidents.
The Tabwa ("scarify" and "write") constitute an ethnic group present in the South-East of the DRC, around Lake Tanganyika. Animists, their beliefs are anchored around the ngulu, spirits of nature present in plants and rocks. The tribes of this region, such as the Tumbwe, worship the Mipasi ancestors through sculptures held by chiefs or sorcerers. A magic charge ( dawa) was introduced at the top of the head of the statues. Soothsayers-healers used this type of object to reveal witchcraft and ...

African art and the founding myths of Bambara
In central and southern Mali, this sculpture refers to the horse-antelope Ciwara ("wild beast of the earth") which, for the Bambara, Bamana " or "unbelievers", as the Muslims called them, would have taught agriculture to the man. She would also have offered him the first cereal. The crest was fixed by raffia ties on a hat. in basketwork. Brown and velvety matte patina. Worn on the top of the head, these crests accompanied the dancers during the rituals of the tòn, an association dedicated to agricultural work. The masks roamed the field by leaping in order to drive out the nyama, evil scents, and to detect any danger, or to flush out the evil spirits that could delight the soul of the cultivated plants as well as the life force of ...

Ex-French collection of African art The African mask Kwele Pipibuze, Pibibuze, ("the man") symbolizes the light and clairvoyance required to overcome witchcraft. This type of mask, here in a reduced version, was not always intended to be worn, but decorated the walls of huts. Two-tone granular patina. Minor chips.
Discreet restoration of a horn. Depending on the presence of horns and their arrangement, the masks are called pibibudzé, Ekuku zokou, etc... and are associated with the ancestors or the 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, which was ...

Ex-French collection of African art The notable element of this African mask lies in its decorative motifs made up of small holes, highlighting the sobriety of the features.
A tribe neighboring the Pounou or Punu , the Tsogo , Mitsogo , are traditionally farmers (slash-and-burn agriculture) and matrilineal, and renowned for their very elaborate religious practice rituals, and particularly initiation rituals, notably the bwiti or the mwiri for men, and the nyembe for women. They live on the right bank of the Ngoumé River. The function of their African masks is essentially the propitiation of the spirits of the ancestors and divination through the use of medicinal plants, particularly hallucinogenic. Their masks are kept at the back of the ebanza house where the ...

French collection of primitive African art . Modest-sized mask whose large rounded jaw can be operated, giving it an astonishing physiognomy. Abraded matte patina of use. Erosions.
The Ibibios, a West African people mainly present in the south-east of Nigeria (Akwa Ibom State), are also present in Ghana, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. Secret societies are numerous among the Ibibio settled to the west of the Cross River. Without a centralized government, their social organization is comparable to that of the neighboring Igbo. Ancestor worship is under the authority of the highest-ranking members of the Ekpo. The latter use masks such as the idiok , linked to fallen spirits, and the mfon , representing saved souls. The statues and puppets are used by the ekon company every seven ...

This version of African mask would embody a spirit of the bush. These very refined masks, associated with the mangam ceremonies of the Mama , or Kantana , are used within the ethnic group by members of a male association responsible for maintaining social order and increasing or promoting agricultural production. It is in fact in the north of Benoué that several ethnic groups produce very stylized masks worn on top of the head.

Pinkish ochre grainy patina.

This mask whose horns symbolize fertility is therefore danced during festivals related to agricultural fertility and sometimes human fertility.
The masks are kept in the sacred wood and are brought back to the village to accompany the deceased to the afterlife or to participate in the enthronement ...

Not very common, this type of African mask of initiation, Mbuya of the Pende bears a crenellated panel from which protrude outgrowths. The patina most often resulted from a mixture of ochre bark and palm oil.
Cracks and abrasions. Satin patina.
The Western Pende live on the banks of the Kwilu, while the Easterners have settled on the banks of the Kasai downstream from Tshikapa. The influences of the neighboring ethnic groups, Mbla, Suku, Wongo, Leele, Kuba and Salempasu have been imprinted on their large tribal art sculpture. Within this diversity, the realistic Mbuya masks, produced every ten years, have a festive function, and embody different characters that are difficult to differentiate without their costume, including the chief fumu or ufumu, the soothsayer and his ...

The African Fang masks of the So (red antelope) and Ngil (gorilla) associations, providing a judicial function reflected by the severity of their physiognomy, were worn with a costume of plant fibers, accompanied by paraphernalia of glass beads, animal teeth, horns filled with therapeutic ingredients, bells and weapons. They demonstrated the authority of the notables in charge of designating those responsible for crimes, particularly sorcerers, and sacrifices were probably associated with them. A tool of repression, the role of this type of Fang mask was to maintain peace through the judgment of criminals. Abraded patina, cracks and erosions.

Supposed to make invulnerable and in order to terrify the enemy, the African mask kpongadomba or " Pongdudu " of the Boa was ordered by the chief kumu who offered it to the most valiant warrior . It was then kept in his wife's hut. Two-tone patina, erosions.
Height on base: 32 cm. Close to the Mangbetu and the Zande, the Boa inhabit the savannah in the north of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Some Boa would have used these masks for educational purposes with children since the pacification of the Uele region.