African Arts Gallery

The Cupbearers in African Art from Nigeria.
The kneeling priestess, her cheeks marked with "kpélé" scarifications, presents a cup intended for offerings or divination. The Yoruba religion is based on artistic sculptures with coded messages (aroko). These spirits are believed to intercede with the supreme god Olodumare.
Satin black patina. Desication cracks and abrasions.
Within the Yoruba pantheon, Orunmila is the "orisa" deity who is consulted in the event of a problem through ifà divination thanks to the diviner babalawo (iyanifà for a woman). The kingdoms of Oyo and Ijebu arose following the disappearance of the Ifé civilization and are still the basis of the political structure of the Yoruba. The Oyo created two cults centered on the Egungun and Sango societies, ...

Ritual instrument used in the fourth initiatory rank of the Bamana Kore society, Bambara, this cane is named, like the horse mask, Kore Duga or the Kore vulture b>. The name of the mask refers to the satirical behavior of the dancer-jester who straddles the stick during his performance. It has various objects associated with the knowledge dispensed by the Koré, the last initiatory society of the Bamana. The handle has a slightly curved flat seat and is extended by a sculpted head. Black brown patina, erosions and cracks, lack.

Liturgical objects in African art of the Yoruba
Figure of follower of the god Sango, carried in the left hand during ritual tribal dances, this stick is carved with a kneeling female figure. The physiognomy is characteristic of Yoruba art, illustrated by the large almond-shaped eyes and cheek scarifications. These figures are dedicated to the god of thunder and youth Shango, or Sango, according to the Yoruba religion. The latter would be the mythical ancestor of the kings of Oyo. He was also the protector of the twins, whose occurrence was very frequent in the region. It is a divinity feared for its unpredictability, and revered because it would bring beneficial rains to crops. Women's fertility is also attributed to her.
Satin brown patina, abrasions. Height with ...

Les régalia des Tchokwe dans l'art africain
Emblême de pouvoir faisant partie des régalia, marque d'ostentation, ce sceptre représente la puissance politique et symbolique.  Sculpture en ronde-bosse réalisée par un artiste au service du chef, associée au culte thérapeutique de type Hamba, la figure féminine Chokwe ou Lwena incarne l'ancêtre féminin qui est censée garantir les naissances ou la guérison. Le personnage qui illustre également la seconde épouse du chef mythique Chibinda Ilunga arbore une coiffure bombée telle un casque.
Patine brune satinée, résidus de kaolin.
Paisiblement installés en Angola oriental jusqu'au XVIème siècle, les Chokwé ont ensuite été soumis à l'empire lunda dont ils ont hérité un nouveau système hiérarchique et la sacralité du pouvoir. ...

In African art, headdresses, seats, arms, crowns, cups and drinking horns constitute a set of objects, the regalia, which surround the chiefs and accentuate their authority. Emblem of power and prestige, this fly swatter is surmounted by a singiti ancestor figure.

Dark brown lustrous patina.
The Hemba, established in the south-east of Zaire, on the right bank of the Lualaba, were for a long time subject to the neighboring Luba empire, which had a definite influence on their culture. Ancestor worship, whose effigies have long been attributed to the Luba, is central to Hemba society. 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 sacrifices. The singiti statues were ...

Scepter with sculpted Mangbetu type motif, depicting a naked couple, tattooed and styled according to traditional use. This headdress highlighted the elongation of the skull, typical of the group, which compression of the head from a very young age gradually deformed.
Glossy brown patina.
The ancients call beli the anthropomorphic figures embodying ancestors, stored out of sight, and comparable to those belonging to their secret society nebeli. The Mangebetu kingdom in northern Congo produced architectural works that impressed European visitors in the 19th century. Their furniture, weapons, ornaments and statuary were imbued with a rare aesthetic quality. The ethnologist G.A. Schweinfurth in 1870 described its symmetry and refinement, while at the same time testifying ...

Featuring a deified ancient king, a figure of a horseman sculpted in the round associated with the sango cult forms the pommel of this ceremonial object. The equine, rare in the region, constituted a prestigious attribute which was reserved for the nobility and the sovereigns. Centered on the veneration of its gods, or orisà , the Yoruba religion is based on artistic sculptures with coded messages (aroko). They are designed by the sculptors at the request of the followers, soothsayers and their customers. Polychrome patina.
The Yoruba, more than 20 million, occupy southwestern Nigeria and the central and southeastern region of Benin under the name of Nago. They are patrilineal, practice excision and circumcision. The kingdoms of Oyo and Ijebu arose following the disappearance of ...

A maternity figure pfemba , carved in the round, forms the handle of this prestigious flycatcher. The woman seated cross-legged, named phemba or pfemba, a symbol of the mythical ancestor, is likely associated with fertility cults. The child on her lap would embody the matrilineal transmission of power. Different faces adorn the middle section of the handle, while decorative motis are printed around the lower part. Lustrous black patina. The Solongo cultures of Angola and Yombe were largely influenced by the Kongo kingdom from which they borrowed naturalistic statuary and religious rituals by means of carved fetishes nkondo nkisi.
The Yombe are established on the West African coast in the southwestern Republic of the Congo and in Angola. Their statuary includes remarkable ...

Fang-type prestige scepter, offering an anthropomorphic figure associated with the worship of the ancestors of the Byeri. Sculpted with skill, the piece features a young woman with a long bust framed by bent arms whose hands rest under her breasts. The curved legs rise, semi-flexed, from a rounded base that extends the handle. The face is shaped like a heart in the center of a spherical head.
Shiny patina, cracks.
Among the Fang, the relics of the most remarkable ancestors were kept in cylindrical bark boxes near the couch of the head of the lineage, initiate of the family cult of Byéri. Surmounted by a human effigy which affirmed their identity, they contributed to the protection of their descendants. The initiation rites, forbidden to women and children, took place under ...

The spectacular elongation of the bust here forms like a stick supported by curved lower limbs. The head, for its part, refers to the masks of the style qualified as guro-bete for lack of reliable information. The central part, cleared up, would indicate a frequent prehension. Satin garnet black patina.
of the Baoulé. Their respective sculptures, by their morphology, bear witness to their close relationship. Priest and diviner share the predominant ritual functions among the Guro. Secret associations worship the geniuses of nature, through the masks in which the spirits are supposed to reside. Their protective spirits called zuzu were worshiped through statues placed on altars. The Bété form a tribe established on the left bank of the Sassandra River in the south-west of the Ivory ...

The naturalistic sculptures of the Kongo clans.

Anthropomorphic carved pattern stick top. The face offers a subtle and neat modeling highlighting an intense concentrated expression. Fingered hands are joined, the lower part of the body merges into the faceted base. Light golden patina, lustrous. Desication cracks. Height on base: 25 cm.
The Vili , the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembe, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo formed 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 endowed with a codified gesture in relation to their vision of the world. In addition to their weapons and prestigious objects and ...

This scepter summit is made up of different sections between which a double janiform figure is associated with the ancestors. The lines recall the art Of Hemba, Kusu and Buyu. The faces are framed by a tiara and a thin beard collar forming raised bars. Brown patina, satin, rubbed with kaolin.
In the east of the R.D.C. Among the Bangubangu of Luba-Hemba origin, who were decimated by slavery, disease, armed conflict, and under the influence of Islam, statuary is rare. The land belongs to the different clans of their society. The main clan is the Bena Bago , under the aegis of an oversized chief named Mulohwe assisted by dignitaries. Each of the clans is led by a chief Sultani. The secret society, Muyi has carved objects, including emblematic sceptres belonging to judges or the society ...

Pommel gebeeldhouwd met een vrouwenfiguur, uitgebreid met een gedeelte in hout en vervolgens metaal.
Glanzend zwarte patina, lichte gebreken en schaafwonden.
Gevestigd op de plateaus van de Volksrepubliek Congo ex. Brazzaville, en niet te verwarren met de Bembe-groep van het noordelijke Tanganinyika-meer, werd de kleine groep Babembé, Béembé, beïnvloed door de Téké-riten en -cultuur, maar vooral door die van de Kongo's. De Béembé, gevestigd in de huidige Republiek Congo, vormden oorspronkelijk het koninkrijk Kongo, met de Vili, Yombé, Bwendé en Woyo. Ze stonden onder de voogdij van koning ntotela, gekozen door de gouverneurs. De handel in ivoor, koper en slaven waren de belangrijkste middelen van deze weinig bekende groep tot de kolonisatie. Het hoofd van het dorp, ...

French African Art Collection.

Very refined stick, the top of which is sculpted with a stylized anthropomorphic figure. Black satin patina.
Formerly designated under the name "Niam-Niam" because considered as cannibals, the tribes grouped under the name of Zande, Azandé, settled, coming from Chad, on the border of the R.D.C. (Zaire), Sudan and the Central African Republic. According to their beliefs, man is endowed with two souls, one of which is transformed upon his death into an animal-totem of the clan to which he belongs. The name of their ethnic group means: "those who own a lot of land", an allusion to their warlike past originating in Sudan. The Yanda statuettes were exhibited in divinatory seances during which the head of the society smeared them with paste and ...

Brandished in the left hand during ritual dances, this stick Osé Sango, or Oshe Shango, presents in detail a figure of a follower of the god Sango. These ceremonial sculptures refer to the god of thunder and youth Shango, or Sango. The latter would be the mythical ancestor of the kings of Oyo. He was also the protector of the twins, whose occurrence was very common in the region.
Divinity feared for its unpredictability, it is venerated to provide crops with beneficial rains. Female fertility is also attributed to him.
Dark satin patina. Erosions (base).
Yoruba society is organized into various associations whose roles vary. If the masculine Egbe society reinforces social norms, the aro federates the farmers. The gelede has more esoteric and religious aims. The notables ...

Among the emblems of prestige this type of scepter of luba dignitary. He was grounded at inauguration ceremonies and other important rituals. True sources of information about their owners and local history, the sceptres have a varied iconography. The wide part at the top, the dibulu, under the sculpted female figure referring to royalty, represents the administrative centre of each royal capital and bears motifs engraved with parallel lines forming diamonds. These drawings can be found on the mnemonic boards lukasa referring to Luba's political and spiritual history. The cane is divided into several sections engraved with geometric patterns meant to evoke the uninhabited savannahs and roads leading to the kingdom or the chiefdom. Incarnate deceased parents bakishi or spirits bavidye , ...

The Royal Chokwe Badges and African Art.
Intended to exalt the qualities of the chef, a mark of ostentation, the handle of the scepter presented is topped by a round-bump sculpture featuring Chibinda Ilunga in a sitting position, hunter and mythical hero, founder of the Chokwé ethnic group. Easily recognizable by his ample headdress with curved side wings ( cipenya-mutwe ), he had taught his people the art of hunting. The chiefs had a major function in the propitiation rites intended for the hunting and fertility of women, the objects being adorned with this figure thus, presumably, a protective function. At the top, a pot-shaped element is intended for tobacco, the use of which was widespread among the Chokwe, with smoke serving as an offering to spirits ajimu . Black brown satin ...

Dignitary staff decorated with a handle in the form of a cephalomorphic motif. Glossy patina, small accidents, cracks.
Formerly subject to the Luba, then to the Lundas, the Zela have adopted a large part of their customs and traditions. Established between the Luvua River and Lake Kisalé, they are now organized into four chiefdoms under the supervision of leaders of Luba origin. They venerate a primordial couple frequently represented in statuary, mythical ancestors, and dedicate offerings to the spirits of nature.
Ref. : "Luba" 5 Continents. Roberts; "Kifwebe" F. Neyt, ed. 5Continents.

Old grain pestle whose center is carved with two faces. One of them is represented sticking out his tongue, a gesture with symbolic connotation in rituals against witchcraft. Smooth and glossy honey-coloured patina. Desication cracks.
The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembe, the Bwende, the Dondo/Kamba, 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. From comparable beliefs and traditions, they produced statuary endowed with codified gestures in keeping with their vision of the world. Their realistic masks took part in initiation ceremonies and the funerals of notables, and their nailed fetish statues, nkondi, were charged with magical elements ...

The prestigious domolo crosier worn by Dogon men on their shoulders and sometimes found on altars and in binu sanctuaries recalls the insignia of the yona association. , the Yo domolo , or even Yo dyommodo , which forms the emblem of the "ritual thieves". These hoe-shaped emblems evoke a horse's head, the primordial animal of creation. Ritual patina, residual encrustations. Desication cracks.
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 southwest of the Niger bend in the Mopti region of Mali. The Dogon blacksmiths form an endogamous caste called irim They now produce weapons, tools, and also work with wood.
"Masters of fire", they are also supposed to ...

This object of African art, from a private Antwerp collection, is formed of a rectangular flat, extended by a stick engraved in its upper part of parallel lines arranged in triangles, and then a female figure in round-bump. The character is endowed, limited by a checkered headband, with a braided hairstyle called "en cascade", like the Luba women's headdresses in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as evidenced by the photographs taken at the time. Large hollowed-out eye sockets shelter stretched and closed eyelids, and a small mouth appears in a prognathic chin. The protruding of the abdomen is highlighted by the position of digitized hands, the realistic figuration of sexual organs further accentuating the reference to motherhood and fertility. The buttocks also have protrusions, ...