African Arts Gallery

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.

British Traditional African Art Collection.
Among the wide range of Songye sculptures, details distinguish this Songye statuette such as the horn inserted into the head at the tip, and the tiny metal crown at the top. The magic power of the bankishi, (sing. Nkishi) is supposed to be reinforced thanks to the addition of accessories, talismans, metallic elements, seeds, shells. The abdominal cavity is filled with a magical charge that can be made up of therapeutic ingredients. Glossy patina, desication cracks.
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 way. Their history is inseparable from that of the Luba to which they are related through common ancestors.
Very ...

Borrowing the traditional posture of Songye fetishes, this Nkishi statuette however differs in its morphology. The “bishimba” charge would be housed at the top. Glossy patina. Desiccation cracks, gaps.
The Songye fetish, magical sculpture Nkisi , nkishi (pl. mankishi), plays among the Songye the role of mediator between gods and men. The large examples are the collective property of an entire village, the smaller figures belonging 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 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 ...

Ex-French collection of African art Deprived of the summit horn, this African statuette Nkisi, nkishi (pl. mankishi ) offers a face with the features of traditional bifwebe masks. Satin patina. Erosions.
The Nkisi plays the role of mediator between gods and men. Large examples are the collective property of an entire village, the most modest 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 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 that struck ...

French African art collection
This female bust, which embodies a spiritual medium, has a flat face bordered by a tiara and an ample concave circular headdress. Therapeutic and magical substances were placed in the cupule at the top. The attitude, hands on breasts, indicates that the secrets of royalty (the bizila) belong to women thanks to their role as political and spiritual intermediaries. Satin black patina. Lack.
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”). 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 ...

This figurative fetish statuette is said to be a divinatory fetish object. It would be of Tussia origin, Senoufo sub-group of Burkina-Faso. Irregular greenish-grey granular patina
. The Senoufos, the name given to them by the French colonists, are mainly composed of farmers who are scattered between Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso. Councils of elders, led by an elected chief, administer Senufo villages. Governed by matrilineal traditions, they are composed of clusters of dwellings named katiolo. Each has its own Poro association that initiates young boys from the age of seven in a succession of three cycles lasting seven years . They gather in a sacred enclosure called sinzanga located near the village, among the trees. Upon the death of one of the Poro members, ...

Singular African statuette whose anatomy is feminine but whose head represents a chief from the Moxico region, wearing the chipangula cheffale. The chiefs indeed had a major function in the propitiation rites intended for hunting and the fertility of women. Applications of castor oil and coloring plant decoctions were generally applied to Chokwe sculptures.
Glossy patina, minor cracks.

Peacefully settled in eastern Angola until the 16th century, the Chokwé were then subject to the Lunda empire from which they inherited a new hierarchical system and the sacredness of power. Three centuries later, they ended up seizing the capital of the Lunda weakened by internal conflicts, thus contributing to the dismantling of the kingdom. The Chokwé did not have centralized power ...

In addition to their weapons and prestigious objects and their funerary sculpture, the Sundi made use, individually and collectively, of conjuration fetishes often equipped with a magic charge. The naturalist-type character carries a load made up of a mass of various elements. Baby bird down remains on its headdress. Nuanced brown patina, desiccation cracks.
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.

Former French collection of African tribal art. This type of sculpture is a ritual charm belonging to lineages. Performed according to the instructions of Nganga ngoombu and the object’s sponsor, activated using rituals and incantatory formulas and additions in the form of talismans, they have a protective function. The headdress is that of the heads of earth, the nose affects a characteristic upturned shape. Cracks and abrasions. Composed of formidable warriors, the Yaka society was governed by lineage leaders with the right of life and death on their subjects. Hunting and the prestige that results from it are the occasion nowadays, for the Yaka, to invoke the ancestors and to resort to rituals with the help of charms related to the institution "khosi". (C.M.Faïk-Nzuji, ...

The Nkishi figures are renowned for their singular plasticity characterized by sometimes outrageous deformations. Devoid of ritual accessories, this sculpture is carved according to traditional Songye criteria. Satin black patina. Desication crack, abrasions, small chips.
The Songye fetish, magic sculpture Nkisi, nkishi (pl. mankishi), plays among the Songye the role of mediator between gods and men. The large specimens are the collective property of an entire village, the smaller figures belonging 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 society is organized in a patriarchal way. Their history is inseparable from that of the Luba, to whom they are related through common ...

Swiss African art collection.
African statuette Nkisi, nkishi (pl. mankishi) of the Songye whose face reproduces the kifwebe mask. The arms, whose hands surround the protruding abdomen, provide space to carefully grasp the sculpture using metal hooks, as dictated by custom.
Satin patina. Abrasions.
These protective fetishes for homes are among the most popular in Africa. The Nkisi plays the role of mediator between god and men, responsible for protecting against various evils. The large specimens are the collective property of an entire village, and the 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 way. ...

In addition to their weapons, prestige objects and funerary sculpture, the Sundi used, individually and collectively, conjuration fetishes often equipped with a magical charge. The latter forms an agglomerate of disparate materials on the subject's back, extended by a sausage of cloth around the kidneys. Smooth marbled patina, blackish residues. Desiccation cracks. The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, 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 statuary with a codified gesture related to their vision of the world.

African Art from Cameroon.
This African doll of fertility Ham pilu symbolizes the marriage vows and the child that will be born from this union. It is the fiancé who makes it and decorates it with multiple trinkets before offering it to the young woman, pearls, leather talismans, etc... The Kirdi , or "pagans", as the Islamized peoples have called them, are established in the far north of Cameroon, on the border with Nigeria.
They include the Matakam, Kapsiki, Margui, Mofou, Massa, Toupouri, Fali, Namchi, Bata, Do ayo... They live from agriculture, fishing and animal husbandry.
Among the Fali, ancestor worship is illustrated by the great importance given to the skulls of the deceased, because thought and knowledge resided there.
The use of dolls by young African ...

Anthropomorphic sculpture represented seated. The body consists of two spheres connected by a narrow bust. A small faceless head, stocky arms and long legs protrude, evoking a somewhat supernatural being in motion, wrapped in string.
The group of animist Kirdi peoples, or "pagans", as the Islamized peoples have named them, are established in the far north of Cameroon, on the border with Nigeria. They include the Matakam, Kapsiki, Margui, Mofou, Massa, Toupouri, Fali, Namchi, Bata, Do ayo... They live from agriculture, fishing and livestock breeding. Among the Fali, ancestor worship is illustrated by the great importance given to the skulls of the deceased, because thought and knowledge resided there.

African art collection Amadeo Plaza Garcés. Anthropomorphic bone figure, roughly carved, wrapped in textile holding small terracotta pots. Crusty residues of ritual anointings. Height on base: 42 cm.
The multitude of fon gods (the vodun), similar to those of the Yoruba under different names, is represented by fetishes of all shapes and types. Their sanctuaries are found in Togo, Dahomey, and in western Nigeria. Statuettes embodying the legba, protectors of the home, are often attached to them. The faithful administer daily offerings and libations to them, supposed to activate their power. The Fon live in a part of the Republic of Benin formerly called Dahomay. According to legend, a princess of Yoruba origin created this kingdom before the 17th century.
Voodoo or Vodun , ...

Anthropomorphic sculpture depicted seated in a dynamic posture. The voluminous bust is framed by a tiny head, stumps of arms and spread bent legs. The limbs are made of metal, the whole is wrapped in string.
The group of animist Kirdi peoples, or "pagans", as the Islamized peoples have named them, are established in the far north of Cameroon, on the border with Nigeria. They include the Matakam, Kapsiki, Margui, Mofou, Massa, Toupouri, Fali, Namchi, Bata, Do ayo... They live from agriculture, fishing and livestock breeding. Among the Fali, ancestor worship is illustrated by the great importance given to the skulls of the deceased, because thought and knowledge resided there.

French collection of African art
"Gri-gri" statuette covered in leather and decorated with glass beads.
Despite their small number, the thirty thousand Mambila (or Mambilla, Mambere, Nor, Torbi, Lagubi, Tagbo, Tongbo, Bang, Ble, Juli, Bea) (the "men" in Fulani), settled in the northwest of Cameroon, on both sides of the border of Cameroon and Nigeria, have created a large number of masks and statues easily identifiable by their heart-shaped faces. Although the Mambila believe in a creator god named Chang or Nama, they only worship their ancestors. Their chiefs were buried in granaries like wheat because they were supposed to symbolize prosperity. The Mambila are farmers and mainly grow coffee. Their masks and statues were not to be seen by women.

French collection of tribal art
African doll of fertility embodying the aspirations for marriage and the birth of the child. It is the fiancé who takes the initiative to make it and embellish it with various ornaments before presenting it to his future wife. This example is distinguished by its hairstyle and long braids. The Kirdi, also called "pagans" by Islamized peoples, live in the far north of Cameroon, on the border with Nigeria. This community includes the Matakam, Kapsiki, Margui, Mofou, Massa, Toupouri, Fali, Namchi, Bata, Do ayo, and others, who live mainly from agriculture, fishing and livestock breeding.

French collection of African tribal art
Moba works are easily identifiable thanks to the minimalist aspect of a summary size. The reduced works were intended for the family altar. The yendu tchitcheri measuring less than 25 cm serve as a personal talisman.
Only the sons of diviners were authorized to sculpt this protective effigy. The Tchitcheri sakwa (pl. of Tchicherik) represent an ancestor symbolized, founder of the clan, by a human body with an abstract face.
It was initially planted in the ground.
It is supposed to increase the magical power of the family or community altar.
Litt.: "The soul of Africa", S. Diakonoff.; "Africa" ​​Ed. Prestel.

A faceted face with a protruding chin, offering the traditional striations punctuating the nasal bridge, and a small figure with truncated arms, separated from the crater bust carried by ringed legs. Oiled patina, nuanced, reddish brown.
The many carved objects are, among the Ngandi, related to hunting and magic. Some represent the Ngbirondo spirit and act as guardians of the village.
Funerary statues were also used, and sculptures of couple yangba and his sister, equivalent to the Seto and Nabo ancestors of the Ngbaka.

The Ngbaka form a homogeneous people in the north-west of the DRC, south of Ubangui. The Ngbandi live in the east (on the left bank of the Oubangui) and the Ngombe in the south. The initiation of young people, "gaza" or "ganza" (which gives ...

African statuette Nkisi, nkishi (pl. mankishi) of the Songye whose face reproduces the kifwebe mask. Satin patina. Sculpture of balanced proportions, combining curved volumes and angular planes. Brown satin patina.
The Nkisi plays the role of mediator between god and men, responsible, among the Songye, for protecting against various evils. The large specimens are the collective property of an entire village, and the 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 way. Their history is inseparable from that of the Luba, to whom they are related through common ancestors. (ref.: Treasures of Africa, Museum of Tervuren, ed. De ...