African Arts Gallery

Tools and weapons in African tribal art Pende adze decorated with a face like initiation masks.
Black glossy patina. Abrasions from use and cracks.
The Western Pende live on the banks of the Kwilu, while the Easterners have settled on the banks of the Kasai downstream from Tshikapa. The influences of the neighboring ethnic groups, Mbla, Suku, Wongo, Leele, Kuba and Salempasu have been imprinted on their large tribal art sculpture. Within this diversity, the realistic Mbuya masks, produced every ten years, have a festive function and embody different characters, including the chief, the soothsayer and his wife, the prostitute, the possessed, etc. The initiation masks and those of power, the minganji, represent the ancestors and are performed successively during the same ...

Accompanying the circumcision rites in the Ivindo valley, this type of mask had the role of entertaining or impressing by begging donations for the young people invited to the ceremonies. The wearer's costume was made of raffia fibers. Two-tone patina. Chips, abrasions, minor cracks.
The Mahongwe, Obamba, Shamayé and Sango form with the Kota a group with similar rites and society. It is in the eastern part of Gabon that they live among the forests.

Deep mask with linear patterns forked from the nose to the upper part of the forehead. Metal teeth adorn the mouth. Zande masks were used during funeral ceremonies of the Mani society.
Irregular matte patina, erosions and small accidents.
Formerly known as "Niam-Niam" because they were considered cannibals, the tribes grouped 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 would be endowed with two souls, one of which transforms upon his death into the totem animal of the clan to which he belongs. The African tribal art of the Zande, or "those who own a lot of land", apart from their court art consisting of spoons, receptacles, pipes and harps, includes two types of ...

African weapons, prestige objects and transaction currencies.
In Africa, before the colonial period, payments were never made in coins. Transactions were made using cowries, pearls, livestock, kola nuts, but also metals, especially iron. These primitive currencies were used in commercial and social exchanges, especially for dowries, but could also be parade objects or throwing weapons. In Sierra Leone, goods were valued in relation to iron bars called barriferri. The king generally controlled the production or transport of the kingdom's currency. The variety of these metal forms is wide, and they sometimes take the form of particularly aesthetic non-figurative sculptures.

African face mask Makonde associated with an ancestral spirit. This sculpture is characterized by a deeply sunken look highlighting the relief of the cheekbones and the ears placed in height. The hairstyle forms a double crest. A labret deforms the upper lip. Dark satin patina.
Height on base: 37 cm.

The Makonde of northern Mozambique and southern Tanzania wore helmet masks called lipiko during initiation ceremonies for young people. The Makonde venerate an ancestor, which explains the abundance of naturalistic female statuary. Besides the face masks worn during mapiko dances and ngoma ceremonies that educate young people about the demands of marriage and family life. the Makonde also produce body masks featuring the female bust. For the Makonde, the ancestors would return ...

Ex-Belgian collection of African art Funerary statue named Kitumba, of which the same type called niongi among the Yombé, formed female and male sculptures which decorated the tombs of notables. Matte patina. Erosions and 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 codified gestures in relation to their vision of the world. The Woyo, however, are distinguished by their symbolic sculptures associated with proverbs and their emblems of power, including canes and fly swatters.
Ref. : “The Kongo Gesture” ed. Dapper Museum; ...

Small anecdotal statuette describing a character carrying an ax and a bundle of wood. This statuette with many details is coated with a black patina encrusted with clear deposits.
Dogon blacksmiths form an endogamous caste among the Dogon called irim. They now produce weapons, tools, and also work with wood. "Masters of fire" associated in the Dogon cosmogony with the primordial beings "Nommo" created by the god Ama, they are also supposed to heal burns. Small metal objects, made using the lost-wax technique, were widespread in the Inner Niger Delta region, with copper reaching it through trans-Saharan trade. Excavations on the Bandiagara plateau have in fact brought to light vestiges of iron and steel sites prior to the 15th century, the date of the arrival of the Dogon. The ...

Devoid of the horn that rose from its skull, this anthropomorphic sculpture offers the peculiarity of a cylindrical bust, without arms, extended by a ringed neck bearing a massive head to the features of the large kifwebe mask of Songye. The latter has projection strokes. At the top remain resinous drippings mixed with ritual kaolin. A recurrence: oversized feet protruding from the circular base. Semi-mate patina, velvety. Abrasions, erosions and cracks.
These protective fetishes for homes are among the most popular in Africa. Nkisi plays the role of mediator between gods and men. Large specimens are the collective property of an entire village, while smaller figures belong to an individual or family. In the 16th century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle on the ...

This type of tribal statue providing protection against enemies was made according to the instructions of the Nganga ngoombu and the sponsor of the object. This powerful tribal art object was then activated using rituals and incantatory formulas. Satin patina. Slight lack (foot).
Hierarchical and authoritarian, made up of formidable warriors, Yaka society was governed by lineage leaders with the right to life and death over their subjects. Hunting and the prestige that results from it are nowadays an opportunity for the Yaka to invoke the ancestors and to resort to rituals using charms linked to the "khosi" institution. The youth initiation society is the n-khanda, which is found among the eastern Kongo (Chokwe, Luba, etc.), and which uses various charms and masks for the purpose ...

Belgian collection of African tribal art .
A tool for communicating with ancestors, used by the diviner during divination rituals, this sculpture is part of the category of nkisi , nkishi objects, which are supposed to be the receptacle of spiritual energy. The Luba , like their Zela neighbors, use this type of object linked to kashekesheke divination called katatora and lubuko . According to François Neyt, the object was carved from a wood ( kibekwasa ) with magical properties.
During the interview, the ring was caught by the diviner and his client, who would slide it on a mat or a headrest in response to the questions asked (producing the sound "kashekesheke", "extraction of the truth"). Considered feminine, the object is a symbol, for the Luba, of the spiritual power that ...

Among the prestigious objects of the Kuba groups, this cephalomorphic cup decorated with geometric motifs has a handle. Shiny patina. Damaged upper contours. Desiccation crack.
The Kuba are renowned for the refinement of prestige objects created for members of the higher ranks of their society. Indeed, several Kuba groups produced anthropomorphic objects with refined designs including cups, drinking horns and beakers. The Lele are established in the west of the Kuba kingdom, at the confluence of the Kasai and Bashilele rivers. Intercultural exchanges between the Bushoong of the Kuba territory and the Lele have made the attribution of certain objects difficult, as both groups use the same iconography, composed of faces with elaborate hairstyles and geometric decorative ...

Old Lula fetish statuette offering some aspects of the traditional sculpture of its close neighbors: Nkanu, Holo, Zombo and Yanzi. These sculptures were intended to protect individuals or the clan, but could also aim to bring good luck, particularly when hunting, or to increase fertility.
Erosions and cracks, satin patina of ochre tint.
This ethnic group close to the Yaka is settled along the Nséki River in the southwest of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Lula live in small autonomous villages, hunting and fishing.
We notice on their sculptures scarifications close to those of the Téké while the headdresses and the general morphology of the objects are close to the art of the Yaka.

Ex. French collection of early African art.
Borrowed from the Igbo of the Cross River, the African masks Idoma crests also relate to warrior masquerades. The subject refers to a water spirit, anjenu, . The scarification that divides the forehead is typical of the Idoma, as are the prominent scars on the temples.

Minor cracks.
The Idoma settled at the confluence of the Benue and the Niger. The members of the royal lineage of their oglinye society, glorifying courage, use masks and crests during funerals and festivities. The janiform crests are generally exhibited at the funerals of notables. Members of the male society Kwompten, on the other hand, used statues called goemai in healing rituals. Crusty matte patina. Minor erosions and cracks.
Ref. "Arts of ...

French collection of African art
Made in bronze, this African statuette represents a notable of the Kuba court, perhaps a wife or an ancestor of royal blood, kneeling. The green patina is speckled. Here and there clay residues are noted. The Kuba, established between the Sankuru and Kasaï rivers, are made up of several tribes such as the Bushoong, Ngeendé, Binji, Wongo, Kété, etc. Each of these tribes produced a variety of sculptures related to royalty, including statues, prestige objects, and masks decorated with geometric designs.

Kneeling subject promoting lineage. The flared hairstyle is that of the Totshi chiefs belonging to the ikoho association and evokes particular proverbs. It symbolizes respect, intelligence and maturity. The patterns engraved in relief refer to the scarifications which socially and aesthetically distinguished individuals. Golden patina. A people from Central Africa established in Kasai, neighboring the Kuba, the Ndengese form one of the clans descended from a common Mongo ancestor, some of them being originally of the Upper Nile. They produced primitive art statues with absent or truncated lower limbs, covered with graphic symbols, symbolizing the prestige of the leader. Ref.: “Treasures of Africa” Tervuren Museum.

De verschillende soorten Afrikaanse beelden Luluwa, Lulua of Béna Lulua, met meerdere scarificaties, verheerlijken lokale leiders, moederschap, vruchtbaarheid en de vrouwelijke figuur. Dit Afrikaanse moederschap wordt in verband gebracht met de Buanga bua cibola-cultus en zou volgens de Lulua kinderen en zwangere vrouwen beschermen. Het personage benadrukt een prominente buik, het centrum van het lichaam en "object van alle zorg" (De kracht van het heilige, M.Faïk-Nzuji) Grijsbruin patina.
Het is in het zuiden van de Democratische Republiek Congo dat de Lulua, of Béna Lulua, uit West-Afrika zich vestigden. . Hun sociale structuur, gebaseerd op kaste, is vergelijkbaar met die van de Luba. Ze produceerden weinig maskers, maar meestal beeldjes van voorouders die de ideale ...

Among the Luluwa, Lulua, or even Béna Lulua, various types of African statues with multiple scarifications glorify local chiefs, motherhood, fertility and the female figure. This African sculpture depends on the Buanga bua cibola cult of the Lulua in order to protect children and the pregnant woman. The subject has an umbilical hernia, the abdomen being the center of the body and "object of all solicitude" (The power of the sacred, M. Faïk-Nzuji ) Light brown patina.
Desication cracks and erosions.
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, ...

Short sword for ceremonial use whose wooden handle is wrapped in copper strips. Grainy oxidized patina.
Scattered across the Kasai basin, the Tetela of Mongo origin have been the cause of incessant conflicts with their neighbors. They also participated extensively in the slave trade. Their very diverse sculpture is marked by the influence of the groups living in contact with them: in the North, their art was subject to the influence of forest populations such as the Mongo, in the northwest that of the Nkutschu, and in the west that of Binji and Mputu. Kuba traditions were also a source of inspiration, as well as those of the Songye in the southwest. Their fetishes are kept out of sight. Animists, they seek to appease and direct the elements thanks to the sorcerer Wichi and the ...

African Art Dogon
Insignia of power carved with figures in high relief. The subjects refer to Dogon mythologies and cults. Oiled brown patina, missing parts.
The Dogon are a people renowned for their cosmogony, their myths and legends, living in the southwest of the Niger bend in the Mopti region of Mali and part of the North of the The villages are often perched on top of scree on the hillsides, according to a unique architecture. The history of the migrations and settlements of the Dogon (about ten main groups, about fifteen different languages), is based on several hypotheses. For some historians, the Dogon fled from an area located to the west of their current location, following an aggression. Remains of ancient steel sites on the Bandiagara plateau, dating from the ...

Devoid of its mystical "Bonga" charge, the cavity of this teke-type sculpted figure makes the bust protrude in powerful volume, seeming to bend thick legs. Under the headdress, the face with its clear, bulging gaze offers cubist features. Smooth dark mahogany patina. Lacks, drying crack.
Established between the Democratic 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 of life or death over his family, the importance of which determined his prestige. The chief of the clan, Ngantsié, kept the great protective fetish Tar Mantsié which supervised all the ceremonies. It is the powerful sorcerer, healer and soothsayer who "charged" the individual statuettes with ...

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 ...