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African art - Spoon:

From being everyday objects, spoons, ladles and other kitchen utensils have become real art objects that find their place in any collection of tribal art.


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Chokwe spoon
African art > Spoons, ladles > Chokwe spoon

Belgian collection of African art .
The regalia of the Tchokwe in African art
Chokwe ritual spoon with a meticulously sculpted anthropomorphic handle. Velvety brown patina. Of Lunda origin, the Lwena , Luena, emigrated from Angola to Zaire in the 19th century, pushed back by the Chokwe. Some became slave traders, others, the Lovale, found refuge in Zambia. The Lwena became known for their sculptures embodying figures of ancestors and deceased chiefs, and their masks linked to the initiation rites of the mukanda . Their sculpture was largely influenced by that of the Chokwe. Source: "Chokwe", B. Wastiau


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150.00

Igala spoon
African art > Spoons, ladles > Igala spoon

Large spoon with twisted handle topped with a sculpted head. Grainy black patina. Desiccation cracks. Height on base: 50 cm. Established near the Niger estuary, speaking a Kwa language, the Igala formed a powerful kingdom until colonization. Human sacrifices once accompanied these ritual festivals, giving this people the reputation of headhunters. The Igala have large helmet masks called agba during ceremonies honoring their king or at commemorative funerals of dignitaries. Other types of helmet masks come out during the festivals of the egu cult celebrating the spirit of the dead and for the yam festivals.
Ref.: "L'Art tribal d'Afrique noire" ed. Assouline and "Arts du Nigeria" ed. Musée Barbier-Mueller.


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150.00

Touareg Ladle
African art > Spoons, ladles > Touareg Ladle

br> Usual objects in African art.
A functional accessory for ritual ceremonies, this sculpted spoon offers a deep cone-shaped spoon surmounted by a curved handle with a flat end. Very fine streaks adorn the surface.
Scattered throughout the Saharan region of Libya, Mali, Algeria and Niger, the Tuareg (sing: Targui), or "Veiled Men", would come from Berber pastors fleeing the Arabs in Libya in the 7th century. The targui blacksmith also sculpts wood, which is a rare material, carved objects which are often repaired to prolong their use are part of the dowry.
Ref. : "Black Africa, 1" J. Anquetil.


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180.00

Lega spoon
African art > Spoons, ladles > Lega spoon

Among the Lega, the African sculptures were intended for an initiate of the Bwami , among the many other statuettes used during the initiations.

Height on base: 33 cm.
The teacher guided the aspirant to a place where masks and statuettes were displayed, and it was through careful observation that the future initiate had to guess the more or less complex meaning of the metaphors evoked by the sculptures, the latter largely referring to proverbs and sayings. Each of these initiations took place over seven days and included at least seven performances. The objects "won" individually were then kept in a woven bag carried on the shoulder, in a basket for those won collectively.


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180.00

Baoule Spoon
African art > Spoons, ladles > Baoule Spoon

African everyday objects have always been the medium of choice for the artistic expression of African sculptors, particularly in Ivory Coast. The rice spoons of the Baoulé, and the neighboring Dan, were not only intended to be offered to the most hospitable woman in the community, as a trophy. They were used during community meals closing traditional festivals and ritual ceremonies but were also used during fertility rituals: rice was then thrown on the crowd to ensure protection and fertility. The handle of the spoon offers a finely chiseled head like the masks. Mahogany brown satin patina.


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180.00

Touareg Spoon
African art > Used objects, pulleys, boxes, loom, awale > Touareg Spoon

Everyday objects in African art.
A functional accessory for ritual ceremonies, this sculpted spoon offers a deep bowl in the shape of a cone extended by a flat, curved handle. Fine parallel streaks form intersecting patterns on the matte surface. Velvety patina, abrasions from use.
Height on base: 30 cm.
Disseminated in the Saharan region of Libya, Mali, Algeria and Niger, the Tuareg (sing.: Targui), or "Veiled Men", come from Berber pastors fleeing the Arabs in Libya in the 7th century. The targui blacksmith also carves wood, this being a rare material, the carved objects which are often repaired to prolong their use are part of the dowry.
Ref. : "Black Africa, 1" J. Anquetil.


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180.00

Mangbetu Spoon
African art > Spoons, ladles > Mangbetu Spoon

Anthropomorphic spoons are recurring in tribal art. This one is distinguished by its anthropomorphic motif taking up the classic canons that value the mythical hairstyle. Though of ritual use, the spoon also quickly became an emblem of prestige.
The Mangbetu kingdom in northern Congo produced architectural works that impressed European visitors in the 19th century. Their furniture, weapons, ornaments, everyday objects 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 murders and human sacrifices practiced by "the people of the elongated heads".
Height on base: 36 cm.


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180.00

Kongo Spoon
African art > Spoons, ladles > Kongo Spoon

Belgian African art collection.
Anthropomorphic spoons are recurrent in African tribal art. This copy is distinguished by the anthropomorphic motif depicting a notable sitting with imposing presence. We find the canons of Kongo art. This type of ritual object also forms an outward sign of wealth and prestige.

Height on base: 41 cm.
Matte medium brown patina, chip on one arm, minor 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 statuary endowed with codified gestures in keeping with their vision of the ...


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180.00

Kongo spoon
African art > Spoons, ladles > Kongo spoon

The anthropomorphic handle of this African spoon refers to the spirit of an ancestor. Shiny patina shaded from brown to black. Height on base: 31 cm.

Established on the sets of the ex. People's Republic of Congo (DRC) ex.Brazzaville, and not to be confused with the Bembé group from the north of Lake Tanganinyika, the small Babembé group, Béembé, was influenced by Téké rites and culture, but especially by that of the Kongo. Installed in the current Republic of Congo, the Béembé originally formed the kingdom of Kongo, with the Vili, Yombé, Bembé and Woyo. The village leader, nga-bula, was responsible for interceding with the ancestors. Hunting being a major activity, ancestors were invoked through statuettes. These idealized representations of ancestors, kitebi or bimbi ...


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180.00

Bwende Spoon
African art > Spoons, ladles > Bwende Spoon

In addition to the famous niombo, sometimes giant anthropomorphic funerary "packages" representing the deceased, the Bwende, inspired by the Kongos and the Bembe, sculpted various prestigious objects, such as this spoon whose ample cuilleron is surmounted by a bust depicting an ancestor.
Height on base: 47 cm. Glossy orange-brown patina, desiccation cracks.

The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembe, the Bwende, 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. With the same beliefs and traditions, they produced a statuary endowed with a codified gesture in relation to their vision of the world. The Bwendé sculptures were strongly inspired ...


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180.00

Luba spoon
African art > Spoons, ladles > Luba spoon

Belgian African art collection.
Anthropomorphic spoons are recurrent in tribal art. This one for rustic that it is is not less very interesting by the simplicity of its form and the sculpture. We find there the attributes of Luba art including the mythical hairstyle of this ethnic group. Traces of use and wear. Black and slightly crusty patina.
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 python. In the 16th century they created a state, organized as a decentralized ...


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125.00