African Arts Gallery

In African art, the Bamiléké demonstrate their skills through the use of multicolored beads.
This monoxyle seat with the appearance of a table, named rü mfo among the Bamum, features human figurative motifs. A basic structure is carved from wood and then covered, above a rag cloth, with a latticework of imported multicolored beads.br>
Located in the border region of Nigeria, Cameroon's northwestern province, the Grassland is made up of several ethnic groups: Tikar, Anyang, Widekum, Chamba, Bamoun, or Bamum and Bamileke. Several centralized chiefdoms, or kingdoms, based on customary associations, secret societies,are organized around the Fon who has broad powers. Among the Bamilekes of Sudanese-Bantu origin, as in other ethnic groups, art objects testified to their ...

African object aimed at enhancing the status of its user, an expression of African art, this stable and massive headrest constitutes, for tribes of Kenya a pillow to preserve elaborate headdresses during sleep. It was also used as a stool. Among the Turkana, they are offered to the future wife as a wedding vow, and returned to the man in case of refusal. Among the Pokot established in the region from Lake Turkana to Lake Baringo, it is the present which marks the ceremonies of the passage to adulthood or even a reward for a victory during a conflict.
Headrests frequently take the stylized form of an animal, cattle being of utmost importance to the pastoralist tribes of East Africa.
Oiled dark patina. Small accidents.
Ref. : "Dreams on wood, East African neckrest" ed. ...

Sometimes supporting Songye fetishes, mankishi (sing. nkishi), this type of seating could also be charged with a protective bishimba at the level of the head, the umbilicus or in the base. In the south-west of the Congo, in Angola and in Zambia, each chief had a female caryarid seat, an image of fecundity, fertility and matrilineal filiation.
The Songye came from the Shaba region in the DRC and settled between the Lualaba River and the Sankuru River in the middle of savannah and forests. They are governed by the yakitenge and by local chiefs. The Bwadci secret society, however, counterbalances their power. Black lustrous patina, minor crazing and abrasions.
Lit. : "The Sensible and the Force" ed. Royal Museum for Central Africa

A prestigious object aimed at enhancing the status of its user, an expression of traditional African art, this monoxyle headrest or even "dream support", constitutes, for the tribes of Kenya and Uganda, a pillow to preserve elaborate headdresses during sleep. It was also used as a stool. Among the Turkana, they are offered to the future wife as a wedding vow, and returned to the man in case of refusal. Among the Pokot established in the region from Lake Turkana to Lake Baringo, it is the present which marks the ceremonies of the passage to adulthood or even a reward for a victory during a conflict.
Headrests frequently take the stylized form of an animal, cattle being of utmost importance to the pastoralist tribes of East Africa. This example, standing on three outward curved ...

Kneeling and supporting the circular tray of a seat, a female figure forms the receptacle of a deceased sovereign leader (Luba, Roberts). The scarifications of the female figure, protruding, on spikes, surround the umbilical, the centre of the world. associated with lineage, and those of the lower abdomen, horizontal, symbolize fertility. This stool named lupona , or kioni or kipona, kiona, according to the sources, constitutes the meeting point of the sovereign, his people, and protective spirits and ancestors, where symbolically and spiritually past and present mingle. It was once the seat on which the king was inducted mulopwe. The seats were arranged on leopard skins at the inauguration of the new leader. It was only after sitting there that his address was royal and divine. Apart ...

The Luba are famous in particular for their neckrests and stools made of a caryatid figure. The "receptacle of a deceased sovereign leader" ("Luba" Roberts) effigy, embodying the spirit of an ancestor, vidiye, is adorned with talisman necklaces. A coin from the former Belgian Congo is set on the base. Dark oiled patina, orange reflections. Native restorations using metal fragments.
The Luba (Baluba in Chiluba) are a people of Central Africa. Their cradle is Katanga, more precisely the region of the Lubu River, hence the name (Baluba, which means “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 the 16th century they created a state, ...

Among the African decorative furniture, this type of Luba-inspired caryatid stool/headrest. Circular seat of modest size, supported by two sculpted female figures, it offers a shiny patina. Desication chips and cracks.
The cradle of the Luba (Baluba in Chiluba) is Katanga, more precisely the region of the Lubu River. They were born of a secession from the Songhoy ethnic group. In the 16th century they created a state, organized in decentralized chiefdoms, which stretched from the Kasai River to Lake Tanganyika. The stools named lupona, or kioni or kipona, kiona, once formed the seat on which King Mulopwe was enthroned. The seats were arranged on leopard skins during the investiture of the new leader. Only after sitting there did his speech take on a royal and divine character.

African headrests come in a wide variety: this type of prestigious African neckrest, also used as a seat, has a dark patina with a carmine reflection. With a circular foot, it has an oblong and curved top. This headrest comes from Gurage, Gima, or Oromo. More than eighty ethnic groups in Ethiopia have indeed produced different neckrests for individual use called yagerteras, or "pillows of my country" or "Boraati" ("tomorrow you").

Over time, the realization becoming more complex until they became real small masterpieces of sculpture, they also became individual objects of prestige and power, placed on family or collective altars. These objects were originally intended to protect the elaborate hairstyles of their owner (male or female) during the night. But among the ...

The usual objects of African art.
Four angular legs, some of which have a carved face, support the circular seat of this small Dogon seat made of a very dense wood. Fine hatch patterns decorate the seat, forming a slight relief. The seat has a greyish brown patina. Abrasions. The Dogon are a people renowned for their cosmogony, esotericism, myths and legends. Their population is estimated at about 300,000 souls living southwest of the Niger loop in the Mopti region of Mali (Bandiagara, Koro, Banka), near Douentza and part of northern Burkina (northwest of Ouahigouya). The villages are often perched on the top of scree on the side of hills, according to a unique architecture. The history of the migrations and settlements of the Dogon (about ten main groups, about fifteen different ...

Old circular seat, with a slightly concave center, carried by three feet. The decoration consists of opposing geometric patterns, finely engraved on the uprights.
Contours and feet eroded.
Gray brown age patina.
In the southern coastal region of Tanzania, around Dar-es-Salaam, a relatively homogeneous group produced most of the artistic productions. It includes the Swahili, Kaguru, Doé, Kwéré, Luguru, Zaramo, Kami. Among these populations, the seats are thrones intended for the heads of lineage, each of them being under the protection of a tutelary spirit. These stools were set apart in shrines named kolelo, guarded by priests.

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.

Ex-collection of French African art.
Among the elements of traditional African furniture , the seats played a role intended to enhance the prestige of those who possessed them. Often intended for dignitaries, kings, chiefs and nobles, they are decorated with figurative motifs relating to the history and myths of the clan. In this case the character playing the role of caryatid probably refers to the female ancestor of the clan. Its presence is believed to be beneficial to its holder. Clear honey patina, desiccation cracks, indigenous restoration by means of a metal staple.

In the south-west of the Congo, and in Angola and Zambia, each chief had a seat with a female caryatid, an image of fecundity and fertility and of matrilineal descent. An anthropomorphic subject functions as a caryatid, supporting the circular seat. Abrasions and cracks, missing. The different types of African statues Luluwa, Lulua, or even Béna Lulua, with multiple scarifications, glorify local chiefs, motherhood, fertility and the female figure. It is in the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo that the Lulua, or Béna Lulua, from West Africa settled. . Their social structure, based on caste, is similar to that of the Luba. They produced few masks, but mostly statuettes of ancestors representing the ideal warrior, mulalenga wa nkashaama, as well as the leader of the Leopard ...

In homage to their heroic ancestors, the hunter clans, present before the arrival of the Bembé in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo 18th century, have carved statues named misi . The latter, endowed with a triangular face and protruding eyes, form the caryatid subject of this stool. Matte wood, many desication cracks mainly on the seat that has been restored locally (aluminum tongue). Lack on the base.
Fral flows have mixed Bembe, Lega, Buyu (Buye) or Boyo , Binji and Bangubangu within the same territories. The Basikasingo, considered by some to be a Buyu sub-clan, are not of bembe origin, however, as Biebuyck's work has helped to trace their history. Organized in lineages, they borrowed the association of Bwami from the Lega. The bembé and boyo traditions are relatively ...

Sculpted caryatid seat from the Makonde or Wamakondé, a matrilineal population originating from Mozambique, to be distinguished from the Makonde of Tanzania.
Within the equatorial regions of Central Africa, the craftsmen and artists are the "Mapuundi". The latter mainly carve ebony, in which they fashion prestigious seats such as the abundantly decorated example above, which could be transformed into a chief enthronement support, or more modest, according to the social rank of each. The decorative incisions adorning the edges of the plateau form motifs with a symbolic connotation used by the groups around the great lakes. The tray carried by the woman on her head also refers to the winnowing basket. Shiny patina, indigenous restorations (metal).
According to: "Seats of ...

Delicate neck support decorated with a zoomorphic caryatid evoking the mpakasa mask, rising from a circular base. Satin light brown patina, minor abrasions and crazing.
Located in the Democratic Congo between the Yaka and the Tchokwé of Angola, the small Holo ethnic group migrated from the Angolan coast to settle near the banks of the Kwango River. Hunting and agriculture ensure their subsistence. The neighboring ethnic groups, such as the Suku and Yaka, have influenced their traditional sculptures. The Holo did indeed produce helm masks and prestige items for the ruling elite. The Holo used sculptures to guard against the influence of evil spirits, including that of the moon and the rainbow. These statues were placed near dwellings as protection against lightning. Bird figures are ...

Among the elements of African furniture in daily use, a senoufo stool from the Ivory Coast, whose slightly curved, oval-shaped seat is supported by four thick conical legs. This type of stool for individual use, carved in heavy wood, was used to wash clothes at the river. Beautiful golden patina, minor cracks and erosions.
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 sSenufo speak a Voltaic language Gur, Gour, like the Lobi and the Koulango. Living in a restricted area, the sénufo sculptor, whose training spanned seven years, began by making everyday objects, then, little by little, sported sculptures larger than more important. Initiatory ...

Very low to allow women to be at the height of the fire to prepare meals, this solid stool offers a wide concave seat. It could make use of a presentation dish. Beautiful patina of use, erosions and cracks. < br>Mixed with the Nalu and the Landuman, the Baga live along the coasts of Guinea-Bissau in areas of swamps flooded six months a year. These Baga groups settled on the coast and living from rice growing are made up of seven sub-groups, including the Baga Kalum, Bulongic, Baga sitem, Baga Mandori, etc.... Along with the extinction of male initiations since the 1950s, women's societies organize danced ritual ceremonies during which possession and divination sessions frequently take place. These groups make use of sculptures, masks and caryatid drums.

Ex Belgian African art collection.
Among the items of African furniture of daily use, an ancient lobi seat from Burkina Faso, which is supported by large cylindrical legs. This type of stool for individual use marked the social rank of its owner and was not lent in any case.
"The most important element of African furniture remains without question the seat, linked to the social rank of its owner. Travelers' accounts from the 17th and 18th centuries indicate that when a chief moved, his seat followed him, carried by a servant. "African objects L. Meyer. Antique stool, with eroded and cracked wood. The populations of the same cultural region, grouped together under the name "Lobi", form one fifth of the inhabitants of Burkina Faso. Few in number in Ghana, they also ...

The use of the term Yorouba , derived from a Hausa word that referred to the yorouba of the northern kingdom of Oyo, dates from the mid-19th century, when it was popularized by missionaries. The history of the Yorouba was written mainly in favour of the kingdom of Oyo, which extended its hegemony over much of the region in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Yorouba language is not homogeneous throughout the territory: it consists of dialects that form three main families. The kingdoms of Oyo and Ijebu were born following the demise of the Ifé civilization and are still the basis of the Yoruba political structure. The Oyo created two cults centered on the societies Egungun and Sango, who venerate their gods, the Orisa , through ceremonies using masks, statuettes, sceptres and ...

The Shankadi belong to the Luba group, and have the same associations and structures. Their mostly realistic statuary is characterized by spectacular hairstyles, a smooth surface, lower limbs of lesser dimension. The "cascading" hairstyle illustrates one of the various braided compositions fashionable in Zaire in the 1800s, highlighting the social status of the wearer. he seated figures, entwined, leaning on the toes of their counterpart, symbolize Luba royalty. The characters embody the spirit of an ancestor, vidiye. Brown patina with mahogany reflections, residual inlays.
The Luba (Baluba in Chiluba) are a people of Central Africa. Their cradle is Katanga, more precisely the region of the Lubu river (Baluba “the Lubas”).
Source: "Luba" F. Neyt