African Arts Gallery

African art and the founding myths of Bambara
This animal sculpture refers to the horse-antelope Ciwara ("wild beast of the earth") which is said to have taught agriculture to man. She would also have offered him the first cereal. The crest mask rests on a basketwork hat covered with textile. Matte brown patina.
Erosions.
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 traveled the field by leaping in order to chase away from it 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 their seeds.

Established in central and southern Mali, the ...

Former Belgian collection of African art .
African mask testifying to the stage that its owner had reached within the Bwami, an apprenticeship society composed of different grades. Residues of kaolin and burgundy pigments. Erosions. Height including beard: 42 cm.br /> On the west bank of the Lualaba River, in the DRC, the Bwami society of the Lega, open to men and women, organized social and political life. There were up to seven levels of initiation, each associated with emblems. During ritual ceremonies, the Idumu masks were presented to the initiates placed on a barrier and surrounded by smaller masks. The teacher would lead the aspirant to a place where masks and statuettes were displayed, and it was through careful observation that the future initiate had to guess the ...

Belgian African art collection.
African mask appearing in Tanzania during the dance ceremonies of the dry season. Geometric lines accentuated by linear scarifications. Reddish matte patina, erosions. Height with base: 39 cm.
The Luo, Kuria, Haya and Ziba, the Kéréwé, Karagwé, Sukuma and Nyamézi are established in the central western and central region of Tanzania. Along the shores of Lakes Tanganyika and Nyasa, and Lake Nyassa, the Ha, Jiji, Bendé, Tongwé, Holoholo, Fipa, Manbwé, Kondé, Kisi and Ngoni produced figurative statues, terracotta sculptures and inset masks of teeth.

African mask of initiation, Mbuya, with large notched eyelids, an upturned nose, and an open mouth with sharp teeth. It has a natural fiber cap. Height on base: 45 cm.
The Pende Westerners live on the banks of the Kwilu, while the Easterners have established themselves on the banks of the Kasai downstream of Tshikapa. The influences of the neighboringethnic groups, Mbla, Suku, Wongo, Leele, Kuba and Salempasu have been imprinted on their large sculpture of tribal art. Within this diversity the realistic Mbuya masks, produced every ten years, have a festive function, and embody different characters difficult to differentiate without their costume, including the fumu chief. > or ufumu, the soothsayer and his wife, the prostitute, the jester, tundu, the possessed, etc... Mbuya ...

Mask offering the physiognomy of a primate. Kaolin residues. This sculpted work indicated the stage that its holder had reached within the Bwami, a learning society made up of different ranks, and which were joined by the wives whose husbands had reached the third level, that of ngandu . Height including beard: 48 cm. Within the Léga, the Bwami society, open to men and women, organized social and political life. There were up to seven initiation levels, each associated with emblems. Following their exodus from Uganda in the 17th century, the Lega settled on the west bank of the Lualaba River in DRC. During ritual ceremonies, Idumu masks were presented to initiates placed on a barrier and surrounded by smaller masks. The teacher guided the aspirant to a place where ...

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 ...

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.

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 ...

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 ...

African mask of initiation to the Bwami, supposed to indicate the acquisition of a certain wisdom and individual morality. A heart-shaped face, surrounded by small cells, is pierced with oblique eyes and a large striated mouth. Clear matte patina. Desication cracks, abrasions.
Within the Léga established on the west bank of the Lualaba River, in the DRC, 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. The role of chief, kindi, is held by the oldest man in the clan, who must be the highest ranking. As in other forest tribes, men hunt and clear while women cultivate cassava. Social recognition and authority also had to be earned individually: the chief owed his selection to his ...

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.

Mumuye zoomorphic masks in African art
Mumuye African masks were used during the ceremonies closing the initiatory periods of the " sons of va "... and during great events. Each group had a mask carved to symbolize its identity, buffalo, monkey, leopard, etc. ... which was called va or vabou . This mask takes the form of a helmet whose angular top extends horizontally from a bird's head. Large gaping pupils have been arranged under this projection, giving a fantastic aspect to the object. Velvety matte patina with resinous residues.
The statuary emanating from the northwestern region of the Middle Benue, from the Kona Jukun, to the Mumuye and up to the Wurkun populations is characterized by a relative absence of ornamentation and a refined stylization. The 100,000 ...

This type of African mask embodying the female ancestor mwana pwo, often decked out with buttons and accessories of European origin, was worn by an initiate of higher rank. This modest-sized copy uses conventional aesthetic criteria, fine lines, facial scarifications, filed teeth. Blackened matte patina, gaps, erosions.
Height on base: 32 cm.
Peacefully 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 sacredness of power. African Chokwe pwo masks, among the many akishi (sing: mukishi, indicating power) masks of African Chokwe art, embody an ideal of beauty, Mwana Pwo, or the woman Pwo and appear nowadays during festive ceremonies. Joined to their male ...

The African masks of the Punu are distinguished by their elaborate headdresses made of braided shells. This example of gentle symmetry is topped with a single shell that matches the morphology of the face. Height on base: 48 cm. Abraded matte patina, desiccation cracks, chip. The white masks of Gabon, itengi, (pl. bitengi) were associated with the various secret societies of Gabon, including the Bwiti, Bwete, and the Mwiri ("to lead"), the latter being spread out over several levels of initiation, to which all Punu men belonged, and whose emblem was the caiman (hence, for some, the motif with saurian scales). This object, evoking a deceased young woman, was exhibited during the dance called Okuyi. These powerful secret societies, which also had a judicial function, included several ...

Typical of the Kwele, features concentrated in the concave area of ​​the face, which is highlighted by a discreet incision marking the mouth. 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 ". Two-tone abraded patien, crack. Height on base: 42 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 ...

From a basketry base rises a wooden head covered with leather. The facial features are fine, underlined with scarifications, and teeth are represented by sticks. The headdress, generally made up of scrolled horns, is here made up of horns. The dancer's costume was made up of a large trellis of cords in raffia, and, more recently, in cotton fabric. The masks were coated with palm oil before use, and placed in the light of day so that their leather softened and adopted 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 leopard. association, but also during agricultural rituals. The hairstyle would represent that of the young women named Moninkim at the end of their ...

Mask with a halo of a flat surface provided with a handle.
In the 16th century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle on the left bank of the Lualaba, in Katanga and Kasai. Their society is organized in a patriarchal way. Their history is inseparable from that of the Luba to whom they are related through common ancestors. Very present in their society, divination made it possible to discover sorcerers and to shed light on the causes of the misfortunes which struck individuals. The masked performances of male masks provided an opportunity to carry out punitive expeditions and maintain social order. The female masks, supposed to be equipped with divinatory faculties, activated the benevolent spirits with their dances.