African Arts Gallery

African statuette perched on a barrel. This type of sculpture sometimes illustrates a proverb. Glossy black patina.
The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo constituted the Kôngo group, led by King ntotela. Their kingdom reached its peak in the 16th century with the trade in ivory, copper and the slave trade. With the same beliefs and traditions, they produced a statuary with a codified gesture related to their vision of the world. The nganga sorcerers, both healers, were in charge of religious activities and mediation towards the God called Nzambi through consecrated figures. To this end, protective nkisis figures are made and loaded by the nganga with all the ingredients necessary to achieve this goal.
Source: "Le geste ...

African Art from Congo.
The first African coins Handa, also called Lukanu, "Nkanu" or copper crosses, Katanga crosses, or Saint Andrew's crosses, appear in the 13th century in tombs throughout the Shaba region, at the same time as cowrie shells and glass beads, also used as a means of payment. Although associated with funerary rituals, during the 18th and 19th centuries, they constituted the tax that the copper-producing regions owed to the Lunda Empire, a territory covering Katanga, northern Zambia and eastern Angola. Arab merchants also used them in trade circuits extending from Kenya to eastern Angola. The Hungarian ethnologist Torday noted that among the Tetela, it took 3 to 5 of these crosses, ranging from 0.275 to 2 kg, to acquire a male slave and 5 to 10 for a female. They ...

Tribal masks of the Songye .
African mask of the Songye, in the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo. With a high sagittal crest and striated with wide decorative bands, this mask is considered masculine, the feminine mask being generally underlined by a ridge. Matte patina, erosions and desiccation cracks.
Height on base: 63 cm.
Three variants of this Kifwebe mask (pl. Bifwebe) or "chasing death" (Roberts) are distinguished: the masculine (kilume) generally with a high crest, the feminine (kikashi) with a very low crest or absent, and finally the largest embodying power (kia ndoshi). This type of mask, still used today, is worn with a costume and a long beard of natural fibers on the occasion of major ceremonies. The Songye came from the Shaba region of the ...

The result of cooperation between the nganga, the sculptor and the client, this African statuette songye was loaded with bishimba elements and accessories intended to reinforce its action. Brown patina, cracks and losses.
The fetish Songye, protective sculpture Nkisi, nkishi (pl. mankishi), plays the role of mediator between gods and men. The large specimens are the collective property of an entire village, the smaller figures belong to an individual or a family. In the 16th century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle in Kasai, Katanga and South Kivu. Their history is inseparable from that of the Luba, to whom they are related through common ancestors.

Belgian collection of African tribal art.
African fetish Nkisi, nkishi (pl. mankishi) in the form of a bust statuette. This type of sculpture was intended for personal use. The top is pierced with a cavity in which residues remain. Satin black patina, desiccation crack, missing parts.
The Nkisi, loaded with magical ingredients, plays the role of mediator between god and men, responsible for protecting against various evils. Large examples are the collective property of an entire village, and smaller figures belong to an individual or a family. In the 16th century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle on the left bank of the Lualaba. Their society is organized in a patriarchal manner. Their history is inseparable from that of the Luba to whom they are related ...

Ex-French collection of tribal art .
The expressionism of Yupik ritual masks, ceremonial art of the Eskimo peoples. Yupik type mask, to hang. This mask with joyful faces superimposed and framed by a sinuous figure, fish and hands, offers a matte polychromy. Light erosions. In the Arctic regions of North America called "Inuit Nunangat" lives the Inuit people related to the Yupitt, Yupiks, of Alaska and Siberia. The Yupik and Eskimo, Eskimo, make, while reproducing certain traditional conventions, ceremonial masks of very varied size and appearance. For each occasion, following a dream, the shaman will indicate to the sculptor the function and shape of the required mask and that he will wear himself. The masks are associated with the "yua" souls of different animals or fish, ...

This African art Dogon statuette would embody a female ancestor whose anthropomorphic seat refers to the myths of genesis. Glossy black patina. Desiccation cracks, restorations.

These statues, sometimes embodying the nyama of the deceased, are placed on ancestor altars and participate in various rituals including those of the periods of sowing and harvesting. Alongside Islam, Dogon religious rites are organized around four main cults: the Lébé, relating to fertility, under the spiritual authority of the Hogon, the Wagem, ancestor worship under the authority of the patriarch, the Binou invoking the spirit world and led by the priest of the Binou, and the society of masks concerning funerals.
According to the Dogon cosmogony, the first primordial ancestors of Dogon, called ...

Stick topped with an effigy of a dignitary biting into a hallucinogenic root. Glossy black patina, cracks.
The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, the Bwende, the Yombe and the Kôngo constituted the Kôngo group, led by King Ntotela. Their kingdom reached its peak in the 16th century with the trade in ivory, copper and the slave trade. The Yombe settled on the West African coast, in the southwest of the Republic of Congo and in Angola. With the same beliefs and traditions, these groups produced statuary with codified gestures related to their vision of the world. The Nganga sorcerers, who were both healers, were in charge of religious activities and mediation towards the God called Nzambi through consecrated figures. For this purpose, protective figures minkisi (pl.) are ...

Former French collection of African art
Ornaments marking social status, but also magical protections, African adornments and bronzes: Large prestige ring whose subjects in high relief, referring to the Lobi ancestors, were supposed to protect the holder. Many rings were produced in the southwest of Burkina Faso, also having a monetary value for the dowry for example.
The populations of the same cultural region, grouped under the name "lobi", form a fifth of the inhabitants of Burkina Faso. Few in number in Ghana, they also settled in the north of the Ivory Coast. It was at the end of the 18th century that the Lobi, coming from Northern Ghana, settled among the indigenous Thuna and Puguli, the Dagara, the Dian, the Gan and the Birifor. The Lobi believe in a creator God ...

Ex-French collection of African art Small version of the circular African mask , called "junior", with stylized features and teeth referring to the traditional filing of teeth among young people. Generally preceding the manifestation of a series of masks of the " Goli " family, this mask with rounded horns evokes the antelope. It appears briefly during the day and then in the evening to announce the arrival of its relatives in the guise of the goli glin or the kpwan. It is during events such as epidemics or funerals that its manifestation occurred among the Wan and the Baoulé, in order to conciliate the favors of the "amwin" spirits who dispense prosperity, health or even security. It appears nowadays during festive events, the Goli gradually replacing all other masked dances, ...

Lobi slingshot with a carved figure that serves as an amulet. This type of object was used by children to hunt small game or birds. Lustrous patina, minor cracking.
The populations of the same cultural region, grouped under the name "lobi", make up a fifth of the inhabitants of Burkina Faso. Few in number in Ghana, they have also settled in the north of Côte d'Ivoire. It was at the end of the 18th century that the Lobi, coming from Northern Ghana, settled among the indigenous Thuna and Puguli, the Dagara, the Dian, the Gan and the Birifor. The Lobi believe in a creator God named Thangba Thu, whom they address through the worship of many intermediary spirits, the Thil, the latter being supposed to protect them, with the help of the diviner, against a host of plagues.

A central African people based in Kasai, a neighbour of the Kuba, the Ndengese form one of the clans of a common ancestor Mongo, some of them from upper Nile. They produced statues of art first to the absent or truncated lower limbs, covered with graphic symbols, symbolizing the prestige of the leader. The flared hairstyle topped with a summit horn is characteristic of the hairstyles acquired by the Totshi chefs belonging to the association ikoho and evokes particular proverbs. It symbolizes respect, intelligence and maturity. The face seems to be in meditation. The neck has a sling. The bust bears losangic scarifications in relief, with the aim of differentiating socially and aesthetically. The clasped hands highlight the protruding umbilical. Dark brown patina abraded. Desication ...

African mask figurative Idoma offering the traditional keloids. This mask was intended for funeral rites. Black granular patina. Cracks at the top. Height on base: 45 cm.
The Idoma settled at the confluence of the Benue and the Niger. Numbering 500,000, they are made up of farmers and traders. The neighborhood and therefore the influences of the Igbo, those of the ethnic groups of the Cross River and Igala have generated stylistic borrowings. The members of the royal lineage of their oglinye society, glorifying courage, use masks and crests during funerals and festivities. They also produce fertility statues with whitened faces and exhibiting incised teeth. The janiform crests are generally exhibited at the funerals of notables. Members of the male Kwompten society, for their ...

French collection of tribal art In African art, the sowei constitute, through the Mende culture, the feminine ideal. The top of this stick honors women.
Dark semi-matte patina, minor abrasions.
The Mende, Vaï and Gola cultures of Sierra Leone, Liberia and the west coast of Guinea are known in African art for their helmet masks, particularly those of the Sandé female initiation society that prepares young girls for marriage. The male society is the Poro society. A relatively rare occurrence in sub-Saharan Africa, Bundu masks are made by men and worn by women.

Belgian collection of African art.
In tribal art, the Lega statuettes were part of a set used during initiations into Bwami society. The teacher guided the aspirant where African Lega masks and statuettes were displayed, and it was through careful observation that the future initiate had to guess the more or less complex meaning of these objects, true metaphors largely referring to proverbs and sayings. Glossy patina, desiccation cracks.
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. The role of chief, kindi, is held by the ...

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 ...

Among the clans living in the north of the Uituri region, the Nkunda society of diviners used this type of African mask called Nsembu in male-female pairs. Matte patina. Height on base: 40 cm.
The Kumu, Bakumu, Komo, live mainly in the Northeast and center of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their Bantu language is Komo or Kikomo. Several ethnic groups are closely intertwined, with similar associations: the Mbole, the Yela, the Lengola, and the Metoko. Their artistic production also presents great similarities with that of the Metoko and the Lengola. Their divination masks were exhibited during the closing ceremonies of the initiation and circumcision of the young people of the nkunda society. It is in fact in the Maniema region around the Lualaba River and the Great Lakes that ...

African sculpture representing a female ancestor. Generally made of iroko, these ritual statues "singiti" (pl.) were venerated by a particular clan and stored in funerary premises in the chief's house. Matte patina. Erosions, losses.
The Hemba, established in the south-east of Zaire, on the right bank of the Lualaba, were for a long time subject to the neighbouring Luba empire which had a certain influence on their culture, religion and art. The cult of ancestors, whose effigies have long been attributed to the Luba, is central to Hemba society. Genealogy is indeed the guarantor of privileges and the distribution of land. All aspects of the community are imbued with the authority of the ancestors. Thus, these are considered to have an influence on justice, medicine, law and ...

Symbol of animal qualities, this statuette, forming the generic figure of a quadruped (mugugundu) from the Lega environment, belonged to a high-ranking Bwami. Kaolin patina. Eclats.br /-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 self-contained villages surrounded by palisades, usually on the top of hills. The role of the chief, kindi , is held by the oldest man of the clan, who must be the highest ranked. As in other forest tribes, men hunt and clear while women grow cassava. The Bwami, a secret society admitting men and their wives, governed social life. This organization was subdivided into initiation stages, the highest being the Kindi . Bwami has varying ...

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.

Ex. French collection of African art.
Small mask with a mouth that forms an articulated beak Matte patina encrusted with kaolin residue. Height on base: 28 cm.
The Ogoni live along the coast of Nigeria, near the mouth of the Cross-River, south of the Igbo and west of the Ibibio. Their sculptures vary from village to village, but are mainly renowned for their masks with articulated jaws often revealing pointed teeth. Their masks were generally worn during funerals, festivities accompanying planting and harvesting, but also nowadays to welcome distinguished guests. The acrobatic demonstrations linked to the karikpo celebration, and accompanied by the kere karikpo drum, were also an opportunity to exhibit various zoomorphic masks.