African Arts Gallery

The child presented by this type of African effigy would symbolize the matrilineal transmission of power. The female ancestor of the clan constitutes for the Kongo groups a mediating figure. Maternity figures were frequently carved atop chiefs' canes. Shiny mahogany red patina. Desication cracks, erosions.
Clan of the Kongo group, the Yombe are established on the West African coast, in the south-west of the Republic of Congo and in Angola. Their statuary includes remarkable maternities. The use of this type of sculpture remains unknown. Among the Kongo , the nganga was responsible for the rituals by activating a spiritual force with an nkondi (pl. nkissi). The term nkisi was then used to designate the notions of "sacred" or "divine".
Source: "the Kongo gesture" Ed. Dapper ...

Realistic Kongo type sculpture named Phemba or Pfemba. This is the ancestor of the clan, a mediating female figure. The infant would embody the matrilineal transmission of power. Scarifications dot the back of the mother. The Yombe indeed adorned their textiles, mats and loincloths, with diamonds related to proverbs glorifying work and social unity. The glazed look symbolizes clairvoyance. Smooth black patina with garnet reflections. Erosions.

Clan of the Kongo group, the Yombe are established on the west coast of Africa, in the south-west of the Republic of Congo and in Angola. Their statuary includes remarkable maternities. The use of this type of sculpture remains unknown.
Sources: "the Kongo gesture" Ed. Dapper Museum; "Treasures of Africa" Museum of Tervuren; "The ...

This sculpture of African art Dogon, carved in dense wood, personifies a hermaphrodite ancestor of which a miniature replica represents the child. The posture of the subject differentiates this rare Dogon statue. Dry, matte and cracked patina.

These statues, sometimes embodying the nyama of the deceased, are placed on ancestor altars and take part in various rituals, including those of the sowing and harvesting periods.
According to Dogon cosmogony, the first primordial ancestors of Dogon, called Nommo, were the bisexual water gods. They were created in heaven by the creator god Amma and descended from heaven to earth in an ark.
The Nommo is said to have founded the eight lineages of Dogon and instilled weaving, the art of blacksmithing, and agriculture to their human ...

Female statue carved into angular volumes, sitting on a four-legged stool. This African sculpture invoked for the purpose of fertility relates to the female ancestor. Worn on the head at women's funerals, these statues could be viewed by the public. Apart from the ceremonies, they remained under the care of the dean of women. Native restoration (metal staple). Desication erosions and cracks.
Carved for the most part on order placed by a family, Dogon statues can also be the object of worship on the part of the whole community when they commemorate, for example, the foundation of the village. However, their functions remain little known. Alongside Islam, Dogon religious rites are organized around four main cults: the Lébé, relating to fertility, under the spiritual authority of the ...

Polychrome naturalist statue of the Yoruba type. Communication with the afterlife rested on a maternal figure who embodied for the Yoruba people one of the many female goddesses, the goddess of the earth Onilé ("owner of the House"), guarantor of longevity, peace, and resources, and linked to the powerful Ogboni society among the Yoruba Egba and Ijebu. She could also embody Orunmila, goddess of divination.
Intended to be enthroned on an altar, this type of sculpture was venerated by the members of the powerful Ogboni society, or Osugbo, responsible for justice.
Abraded crusty patina, desiccation cracks.
Centered on the veneration of its gods, or orisà, the Yoruba religion relies on artistic sculptures with coded messages (aroko). The kingdoms of Oyo and Ijebu arose ...

In the Kongo clans, this type of African effigy embodies the female ancestor of the clan, a mediating figure. The child would symbolize the matrilineal transmission of power. The Yombe decorated their textiles, mats and loincloths, with diamonds, in relief on the shoulders of the character. These motifs refer to proverbs glorifying work and social unity. Maternity figures were frequently carved atop chiefs' canes. Black patina. Desication cracks, erosions.
A clan of the Kongo group, the Yombe are established on the west coast of Africa, in the south-west of the Republic of Congo and in Angola. Their statuary includes remarkable maternities. The use of this type of sculpture remains unknown. Among the Kongo , the nganga was responsible for the rituals by activating a spiritual ...

Intended to be enthroned on an altar, this work of African art, by facilitating communication with the sacred, symbolically reminds the divinity of its duties towards men. It features the keloids of Yoruba nobles, distinctive markers of Yoruba tribal statuary. Spotted satin patina. Desication cracks.
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, still active, who venerate their gods, the Orisa, through ceremonies call for masks, statuettes, scepters and divination supports.

The main Yoruba cults are the Gélédé, Epa, Ogboni cults, and the Esu cult, through which a very wide variety of ...

Treated in a naturalistic way, this African statue would embody one of the many female goddesses, like the goddess of the earth Onilé ("owner of the House"), guarantor of the longevity, peace, and resources, and linked to the powerful Ogboni society among the Yoruba Egba and Ijebu, or Orunmila, goddess of divination.
Intended to be enthroned on an altar, it was venerated by members of the powerful Ogboni, or Osugbo, society responsible for justice.
Thick partially chipped patina. Traces of colored pigments. erosions.

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 . Centered on the veneration of its gods, or orisà, the Yoruba religion relies on ...

The sculpted miniatures of the Kongo clans of northeastern Mayombe.
The small Kunyi group, surrounded by the Beembe, Yombe and Lumbu in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is famous in African art for its miniature statuettes embodying founding ancestors or clan leaders, many of them being represented kneeling. This figurative female figure wears a headdress divided into three braided lobes, linear checkerboard keloids are inscribed on her face, and numerous bracelets adorn her wrists. The child she holds on her back offers exaggerated proportions.
Shiny orange dark brown patina, desiccation cracks and lack (child's foot).

African sculpture from the area around Dar-es-Salam, on the coast of Tanzania, where the Kaguru, Luguru, Kwéré, Zaramo and Doé tribes live. Carved in dense wood, this figure depicts a female figure carrying a child in her arms. The realistic features are slightly asymmetrical, the pupils deeply sunken, and the caps are pushed back. The protruding, disproportionate ears are cut obliquely. One arm of the child is missing. Matte patina of use, grainy residual encrustations, drippings from libations. Desication cracks.

The linear motifs running through this statuette refer to the traditional paintings of the ethnic group, inspired by the tattoos of the neighboring Asua pygmies and which evolved according to circumstances. Among the Mangbetu from an early age, children of the upper classes also suffered compression of the cranial box, held tight by raffia ties. Later, the hair was "knitted" on wicker strands and a headband encircled the forehead in order to bring out the hair and constitute this majestic headdress accentuating the elongation of the skull. The ancients call beli the anthropomorphic figures embodying ancestors, stored out of sight, and comparable to those belonging to their secret society nebeli.

Orange-brown patina, cracks and losses.
The Mangebetu kingdom in ...

Dogon altar hermaphrodite figure, represented frontally, a cup on the head and the hands joined at the level of the lower abdomen. A female miniature appears in relief on the woman's back. Interesting greyish patina, locally encrusted with grainy deposits. Desication cracks.
Carved for the most part on order placed by a family, the Dogon statues can also be the object of worship on the part of the whole community. However, their functions remain little known. Alongside Islam, Dogon religious rites are organized around four main cults: the Lébé, relating to fertility, under the spiritual authority of the Hogon, the Wagem, ancestor worship under the authority of the patriarch, the Binou invoking the spirit world and led by the priest of the Binou, and the society of masks concerning ...

African statuette carved from the Kongo, this female effigy embodies the clan ancestor, a mediating figure.
The child would embody the matrilineal transmission of power.
The mouth is gaping, the eyes seem exorbitant, underlining the capacity of the ancestress to discern occult things. The use of this type of sculpture remains unknown. However, they frequently formed the motif carved at the top of the chiefs' canes. Dark brown lustrous patina. Abrasions.
A clan of the Kongo group, the Yombe are established on the West African coast, in the southwestern Republic of the Congo and in Angola. Their statuary includes remarkable maternities. Among the Kongo , the nganga took charge of rituals by activating a spiritual force with a nkondi (pl. nkissi). The ...

Carried on the head during the funeral of women, this type of statues could be seen by the public. Apart from the ceremonies, they remained under the care of the dean of women. Characterized by its slender forms, breastfeeding her child in a seated position, this figure evokes the female ancestor and is invoked for the purpose of fertility. Libations have left this piece with a dull dark patina, abraded in places. Desication cracks.
Carved for the most part on order placed by a family, Dogon statues can also be the object of worship on the part of the whole community when they commemorate, for example, the foundation of the village. However, their functions remain little known. Alongside Islam, Dogon religious rites are organized around four main cults. According to Dogon ...

Traditional Kongo sculpture, this statuette embodies the ancestor of the clan, a mediating figure, as evidenced by the scarifications of the bust. The child would embody the matrilineal transmission of power.
The Yombe adorned their textiles, mats and loincloths, with lozenges related to proverbs glorifying work and social unity. The mouth reveals filed teeth, the gaze indicates the grandmother's ability to discern occult things. The use of this type of sculpture remains unknown. They frequently formed the carved pattern at the top of chiefs' canes. Satin black patina. Minor abrasions.
A clan of the Kongo group, the Yombe are established on the west coast of Africa, in the south-west of the Republic of Congo and in Angola. Their statuary includes remarkable maternities. ...

A sculpted miniature of the Kongo, this female effigy embodies the ancestor of the clan, a mediating figure. The child would embody the matrilineal transmission of power. The Yombe adorned their textiles, mats and loincloths, with lozenges related to proverbs glorifying work and social unity. These effigies frequently formed the carved pattern atop chiefs' canes. Glossy dark brown patina.
A clan of the Kongo group, the Yombe are established on the west coast of Africa, in the south-west of the Republic of Congo and in Angola. Their statuary includes remarkable maternities. The use of this type of sculpture remains unknown. Among the Kongo , the nganga was responsible for the rituals by activating a spiritual force with an nkondi (pl. nkissi). The term nkisi was then ...

br>The facial scarifications ichi indicate that this igbo sculpture depicts a titled woman wearing a horned crest. She is pictured standing with her arms and legs spread out in a determined attitude, a child on her back. Locally flaked semi-saturated grey patina. Erosions and cracks.
Seeional body marks, tattoos and scarifications indicated the grade achieved in the initiation society. This effigy, embodying a tutelary deity, intermediate between men and the god named Chukwu was destined to be placed in the obu (Sing.: obi), houses of the men of the Cross River. The culture Igbo originates from the mythology of the Kingdom Nri of Nigeria, according to which the gods brought to believers palm oil, cassava, and yam-based remedies. These effigies often show symbolic objects, ...

A sculpted miniature of the Kongo , this female effigy embodies the ancestor of the clan, a mediating figure, evidenced by the scarifications of the bust. The child within embodies the matrilineal transmission of power. The Yombe adorned their textiles, mats and loincloths, with diamonds in relation to proverbs glorifying work and social unity. The mouth reveals traditionally lined teeth, the eyes seem exorbitant, underlining the ancestor's ability to discern occult things. The use of this type of sculpture remains unknown. They were, however, a frequent form of the pattern carved at the top of the heads' canes. Dark brown patina, ochre residue. Fissures.br /Clan of the Kongo group, the Yombe established on the west coast of Africa, in the south-west of the Republic of Congo and in ...

Tribal sculpture of the Kongo , this miniature sculpture depicting a motherhood seated in a tailor embodies the ancestor of the clan, a mediating figure. The child on his lap embodies the matrilineal transmission of power. The mouth reveals traditionally lined teeth, while the gaze emphasizes the ancestor's ability to discern occult things.
Clan of the Kongo group, the Yombe established on the west coast of Africa, in the south-west of the Republic of Congo and in Angola. Their statuary includes remarkable maternity.
Shach the Kongo, nganga was in charge of the rituals by activating a spiritual force with a nkondi (pl. nkissi). The term nkisi was then used to refer to the terms "sacréu-0022 or "divin". The most influential category of the "minkisi kongo" consisted of ...