African Arts Gallery

Ex-German African art collection.

Among the royal musical instruments of the Tschokwe, this ceremonial drum is supported by two carved faces. The latter, rising from a thick, partially damaged cylindrical base, adopt some of the features of the chihongo mask. In each chiefdom, an attendant would announce each solemn event by means of the drum. According to legend, the membrane of the instrument once concealed a second skin: that of a sacrificial victim. Dark brown patina, ochre residues.
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. Nevertheless, the Chokwé never fully adopted these new social and political contributions. Three ...

Widespread in Central Africa, this traditional African musical instrument or sanza consists of a resonance board on which metal blades of variable length have been fixed. The thumbs of both hands will rest on the board to vibrate the front ends of the tongues. In Zaire however, where all the fingers are used as for the piano, groups of instruments play on complementary registers. The instrument will also sometimes accompany a singer.
This sanza is surmounted by a sculpture in the round representing a tabwa ancestor. Height on base: 45 cm. Oiled brown patina with ocher reflections.

Among the royal musical instruments of the Tschokwe, this ceremonial drum is carved with figures and faces carved in low and high relief embellished with geometric decorative motifs. In the chiefdoms, an officer announced each solemn event by means of the drum. According to legend, the membrane of the instrument once concealed a second skin: that of a sacrificial victim.

Matt patina, abrasions.
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. The Chokwé did not have centralized power but large chiefdoms. They were the ones who attracted artists wishing to put their know-how at the exclusive service of the court. The artists ...

This figurative slot drum incorporates the characters of the buti sculptures embodying the ancestors of the clan or those of statues for individual use. The resonant case is sheathed with animal skin fixed by thin brass heads. The stick, connected to the instrument by a string, offers a delicately carved tip of a similar head.
Black brown satin and mahogany satin.
Andeblis between the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo and Gabon, the Téké were organized into chiefdoms whose leader was often chosen from among the blacksmiths. The head of the family, mfumu , had the right to life or death over his family whose importance determined his prestige. The clan leader, gantsié , kept the great protective fetish tr hated who oversaw all the ceremonies. It was the ...

A zande percussion musical, this wooden idiophone is carved from a human bust. It extends in the shape of a dugout at the feet of which a character is depicted sitting, hands on ears. A long slit acts as a resonance opening. The walls are engraved with different decorative motifs. Satin patina.
odies referred to as " Niam-Niam " because they are considered anthropophages, the tribes grouped under the name Zande , Azandé , settled, from Chad, on the border of R.D.C.(Zaire), Sudan and the Central African Republic. According to their beliefs, man is endowed with two souls, one of whom turns into a totem animal of the clan to which he belongs. The African tribal art of the Zande, or "these who own a lot of land", apart from their court art consisting of spoons, receptable, pipes and ...

Percussion musical instrument of the 'a target'_blank' 'new'nofollow' href'https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Mangbetu_ (people)'' Mangbetu, , this half-moon-shaped wooden idiophone has been fitted with a long slot that acts as a resonant opening. It is endowed with an anthropomorphic handle that includes the features of the ancestor figures nebeli .
The Mangebetu Kingdom in northern Congo produced architectural works that impressed European visitors in the 19th century. Their furniture, weapons, adornments 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 to the ritual killings and human sacrifices practiced by the people of elongated heads. The slot drum is not ...

Widespread in Central Africa, this traditional African musical instrument or sanza is made up of a wooden resonance board, flared in shape, on which nine blades have been fixed. parallels of varying lengths. Sometimes in bamboo, here they are in metal.
The thumbs of both hands will rest on the board to vibrate the front ends of the tabs.
In Zaire however, where all the fingers are used as for the piano, groups of instruments play on complementary registers. The instrument will also sometimes accompany a singer.
This sanza is sculpted with a face according to the Chokwe aesthetic canons, associated with the protective power of the ancestors.
Height on base: 38cm.

Very common in Central Africa, this musical instrument or sanza with a cephalomorphic motif here symbolizes a "singiti" ancestor. The object offers a sound box carrying metal slats. The thumbs of both hands will rest on the soundboard to vibrate the front ends of the tongues to produce the sound.
Satin brown patina, abrasions and desication cracks. Erosions on the posterior face.
Height on base: 40 cm.
The Hemba have long been subject to the neighboring Luba empire, which has had a certain influence on their culture, their religion and their art. Genealogy is the guarantor of privileges and the distribution of land. All aspects of the community are imbued with the authority of the ancestors. They are considered to have an influence on justice, medicine, law and ...

Ex-collection African art from Belgium.Very common in Central Africa, and particularly popular among the Chokwe, this musical instrument, named sanza or likende, depending on the region, consists of a soundboard in the form of a rectangular board. Ten metal tongues have been attached to it in parallel. The thumbs of the two hands will rest on the soundboard to make the front ends of the tongues vibrate. Many instruments of this type called muyemba are incomplete because they have been stripped of the accompanying calabash that formed the sounding board (p.18 of "Instruments de musique" Jos Gansemans. ed. Collections du MRAC).
Lustrous brown patina, abrasions. The Tschokwe, of Bantu culture, settled in eastern Angola, but also in Congo and Zambia. Following various ...

The Yaka like to surround themselves in daily life with charms embellished with sculpted objects with cephalomorphic motifs, such as this African musical instrument, Yaka slit drum, mukoku ngombu, nkoku ngombu, intended for divination ceremonies and curative rites. The head, which would represent the mediator diviner wearing a high skullcap, has a heart-shaped face in which the eyelids protrude.
Satin patina, locally abraded. Cracks and marks of use. Among the Yaka, at the new moon, the ngaanga ngoombu diviner covers his face with kaolin before issuing an oracle. During its daytime passage through the underground, the moon coats itself with this white clay. The night would convey the virtues of life. The Mukoku Nogombu drum is the miniature version of the large mondo slit ...

Widespread in Central Africa, this musical instrument or sanza with a woman's motif offers a sound box with metal slats. The thumbs of both hands will rest on the soundboard to vibrate the front ends of the tongues. Brown satin patina, abrasions.
The statuette in the round sculpted at the top refers to notions of fertility and royal secrets. Her attitude indicates that the secrets of royalty, bizila, belong to women thanks to their role as political and spiritual intermediaries. The Luba (Baluba in Chiluba) are a people of Central Africa. Their cradle is Katanga, more precisely the region of the Lubu river, thus the name (Baluba, which means “the Lubas”). The Luba have two types of figures: the mikisi mihasi , embodying deceased parents or spirits, and the mikisi mihake , ...

Belgian tribal art collection.

Widely used in Central Africa, this musical instrument or sanza consists of a sounding board to which metal tabs of varying lengths have been attached. The soundboard formed by the stand, with holes on each side, contains seeds that produce a sound when the object is manipulated. The thumbs of both hands will press on the board to make the front ends of the tongues vibrate. In Zaire, however, where all fingers are used as for the piano, groups of instruments play in complementary registers. The instrument will also sometimes accompany a singer. While sanzas are often decorated with traditional motifs, this example has some broken lines that are now indistinct.
Velvety patina.

Widely used in Central Africa, this traditional African musical instrument or sanza consists of a sounding board to which parallel metal slats have been attached. The slats, of varying lengths, are sometimes made of bamboo. The thumbs of both hands will press on the board to vibrate the front ends of the strips. In Zaire, however, where all fingers are used as for the piano, groups of instruments play in complementary registers. The instrument will also sometimes accompany a singer.
This sanza is carved with a face and traditional decorative motifs.
Oiled brown patina, matt. Abrasions.

The stringed instruments are declined in Africa under a wide variety: this specimen produced in Ivory Coast by the Baule is of a type with five strings, the resonance box is tended of an animal skin, and is prolonged of a sculpted female subject illustrating the statuary "Waka sona" and the sacred role the music.
This type of cordophone marked the ceremonies in connection with the various stages of life: birth, marriage, mourning, initiation rituals, etc... Orange satin patina. About sixty ethnic groups inhabit the Ivory Coast, including the Baule, in the center, Akans from Ghana, people of the savannah, practicing hunting and agriculture just like the Gouro from whom they borrowed the ritual cults and sculpted masks. Two types of statues are produced by the Baoule, Baulé, in ...

Among African aerophones, this Somba flute from Benin has sections sheathed in leather, most of it swaddled in cotton thread. Pastoral peoples possessed this type of instrument, one of whose functions, in addition to entertainment, was to signal a presence alongside the herd. Abraded patina of use.
The Somba form a heterogeneous group living in the Atacora range in northwest Benin and Togo. They are divided into different subgroups, in Benin they are the Bètiabè, the Batammariba and the Bèsorbè and the Tamberma in Togo.

The Kuba are renowned for the refinement of decorative art objects created for members of the high ranks of their society: cups and drinking horns, baskets, weapons, neck rests, chairs, masks and statues. These items were also offered to passing visitors. The Leus live in the west of the Kuba kingdom and share common cultural characteristics with the Bushoong of the Kuba country. Both groups adorn their prestige objects with similar motifs.
Their musical instruments, among which there are various carved drum forms, accompanied the masked dances or funeral ceremonies of the initiation societies. Decorated with zoomorphic figurative motifs evoking forest animals, this drum set on a flared base is also equipped with a handle adorned with a face extended with one hand. Held by small ...

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Very widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, this anthropomorphic musical instrument or sanza on which metal strips have been fixed, the bust of the statue forming a sound box. The thumbs of both hands will rest on the soundboard to vibrate the front ends of the tongues.
Crusty patina.
Formerly referred to as "Niam-Niam" because they were considered cannibals, the tribes grouped together under the name of Zande, Azandé, settled from Chad, on the border of the DRC (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 African tribal art of the Zande, or "those who own a lot of land", consists mainly of a court art ...

African musical instruments. Throughout the African continent, these drums accompany various ceremonies with their rhythm. The animal skin is stretched over the sounding board with a fiber rope attached to large wooden posts. This Ashanti tam-tam, with its hollow cylindrical shaft, has a dull, ochre-yellow patina from use. Desiccation cracks.
The Ashanti form one of the ethnic groups of Ghana (formerly the "Gold Coast"), of the Akans group, inhabiting a region covered by forests. Like other populations living in the central and southern part of Ghana, they speak a language of the Twi group.
Ref: "Royal Museum for Central Africa, Musical Instruments" J. Gansemans.

Ex Belgian African art collection.

Very common in Central Africa, this musical instrument or sanza anthropomorphic offers a sounding board forming the bust of the figure, on which metal slats are attached. The thumbs of both hands will rest on the soundboard to vibrate the front ends of the strips. In Zaire, however, where all the fingers are used as for the piano, groups of instruments play in complementary registers. Brown satin patina, abrasions. Once subject to the Luba, then the Lundas, the Zela have adopted many of their customs and traditions. Established between the Luvua River and Lake Kisale, 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 ...

The Yaka surround each other in everyday life with charms embellished with carved cephalomorphic figures, such as this Yaka slit drum, mukoku ngombu, nkoku ngombu, intended for divination rituals. The head, which would appear the mediating soothsayer with a high cap, has widely surrounded coffee bean eyes and then highlighted with a "masque" extending to the ears peeled off. The mouth offers hemmed lips and the nose the drawing of large nostrils. The neck is embellished with a necklace of pearls, shards of pink mother-of-pearl and small shells.
Beautiful patina, blackish residual inlays.
With the Yaka, at the new moon, the soothsayer ngaanga ngoombu covers his face with kaolin before issuing an oracle. During its daytime passage into the basement, the moon is coated with ...

Alted in Central Africa, this musical instrument or sanza consists of a sounding board here taking on the appearance of the bust of a male figure. Parallel blades have been attached to it. The thumbs of both hands will lean on the soundboard to vibrate the anterior ends of the tabs. The sculptor's creativity, coupled with a great aesthetic sense, is manifested by the reminder of the vertical arrangement of the tabs in the digitized fingers and feet, which punctuates his work. Red-brown oiled patina with kaolin highlights. Formerly referred to as the name Niam-Niam because they are considered anthropophages, the tribes grouped under the name Zande, Azandé, settled from Chad on the border of R.D.C.(Zaire), Sudan and the Central African Republic. According to their beliefs, man is endowed ...