African Arts Gallery

Made in the Cameroonian Grasslands using the traditional decorative technique using multicolored glass beads, this head is inspired by the famous effigies of sovereigns. Carefully applied to a terracotta surface, the pearls accentuate the features and the headdress with strongly contrasting colors.
In African art, the artistic movement of which these sculptures are a part bears the name of the ancient religious capital of Nigeria, Ifè, one of the many city-states established by the Yoruba. This civilization succeeded the Nok civilization. This city-state of Ilé-Ifé, whose rise culminated from the 12th to the 15th century, had an artistic tradition of royal portraits imbued with realism, funeral effigies in bronze but also in terracotta.

This hemispherical container, a jar equipped with a neck, is said to fall into the category of "bulabir", which become sacred after the death of their owner (Daniela Bologno). The populations of the same cultural region, grouped under the name "lobi", form one fifth of the inhabitants of Burkina Faso. They are not very numerous in Ghana and have also settled in the north of the Ivory Coast. It was at the end of the 18th century that the Lobi, coming from northern Ghana, settled among the indigenous Thuna and Puguli, the Dagara, the Dian, the Gan and the Birifor. The Lobi believe in a creator God named Thangba Thu, to whom they turn through the worship of numerous intermediate spirits, the Thil, who are supposed to protect them, with the help of the diviner, against a host of plagues. ...

Like the Legas, the Zimbas have educational sculptures associated with initiation rites, but they also have anthropomorphic sculptures, in this case in terracotta, with openings for magical charges at the top of the head.
Erosions, heterogeneous patina with residual ochre incrustations.
The Zimba, also called Binja, are close neighbors of the Lega of the Pangi and Shabunda region of the DRC. Subject to Lega influence, they share some institutional similarities with the Lega and Luba. Whether they live in the forest or in the savannah, the symbolism of their art and rituals are associated with hunting, which is of major importance. They are also patrilineal groups that have eventually supplanted the matrilineal organization of their society. Like the Lega, the ...

Jar with a human figurative motif, adorned with a juxtaposition of checkerboards, and a face on which are inscribed the traditional scarifications formerly in use among the Lwena.
Dark brown slip.
Of Lunda origin, the Lwena (or even Lovale , or Luvale ) emigrated from Angola to Zaire in the 19th century, pushed back by the Chokwe. Some became slave traders, others, the Lovales, found refuge in Zambia and near the Zambezi in Angola. Their society is matrilineal, exogamous and polygamous. The Lwena have become known for their honey-colored sculptures, embodying figures of deceased ancestors and chiefs, and their masks linked to the initiation rites of the mukanda.

Made in the Cameroonian Grasslands using the traditional decorative technique using multicolored glass beads, this head reproduces the famous effigies of sovereigns. Carefully applied to a terracotta surface, the pearls accentuate the features and the headdress with strongly contrasting colors.
In African art, the artistic movement of which these sculptures are a part bears the name of the ancient religious capital of Nigeria, Ifè, one of the many city-states established by the Yoruba. This civilization succeeded the Nok civilization. This city-state of Ilé-Ifé, whose rise culminated from the 12th to the 15th century, had an artistic tradition of royal portraits imbued with realism, funeral effigies in bronze but also in terracotta.

Vase with a neck showing a human head with large pierced ears. Sets of incised motifs decorate the sides. Black slip. Abrasions, broken handle. Ceramic work in West and Central Africa is carried out by women, the wives of blacksmiths in most cases. The Mangbetu women, who also produced basketry, excelled in this art.
Established in the forest in northeastern Zaire, the Mangbetu kingdom expressed itself through architectural works that impressed European visitors in the 19th century. Their furniture, weapons, ornaments and statuary were imbued with a rare aesthetic quality. Mangbetu history was indeed based on the refinement of its court but also on cannibal customs. King Mangbetu "Munza" was nicknamed "the cannibal king". The ethnologist G.A. Schweinfurth in 1870 described the ...

Less famous in African art than the terracotta Djenne, this piece comes directly from a field of excavation of the region of Bankoni, area between Bamako and Ségou in Mali, and which gives its name to the play.

It is a seated figure with minimalist shapes, whose lower limbs have feet like oversized palms. The arms are truncated on both sides of a chest. Under the face a small protuberance could be a beard. The sketchy face has enormous ears, a recurring feature in African sculpture, related to the perception of the spiritual world. A ridge sketch emphasizes his skull. What could have been a penis is absent today. The piece, which was probably modeled with no tools other than the fingers, has undergone archaeological repairs. The whole is covered with an orange patina, ...

Typical in African art, the Kronkronbali Komaland heads, meaning "children of yesteryear", have marked features, often coarse. A mouth with full lips. The eyes, nose, eyebrows, beards and whiskers are usually formed by earthen bulges. The head, at the top, is concave and pierced.
These heads seem to have been sculpted as such, without a body, reminiscent of Akan or Anyi statuary. They have the appearance of a sort of plug, sunk into the ground in a circular fashion around tumuli, tombs that are themselves circular and covered with stones. Object of excavations. The first ones were discovered in the years 1970-80 by German anthropologists who dated them between the XIII° and XIX° century.

Ex-Belgian African art collection.
A very sober Djenne-type container, whose orange-pink slip shines through despite the abrasion of the surface. Perforation on the base. As the old Djenne sites are all in a flood zone, artifacts emerge when the waters recede, with locals sometimes discovering them by chance.
In the Mali Empire, terracotta sculptures with red engobe had a funerary connotation.

Ex-Belgian African art collection.
Container of great sobriety of the Djenne type, whose orange slip shows through under a thin beige film. The edges of the neck are slightly damaged.
As the old Djenne sites are all in a flood zone, deeds emerge when the waters recede, the inhabitants sometimes discovering them by chance.
In the Mali Empire, terracotta sculptures with red engobe had a funerary connotation.

A beautiful orange engobe coats this terracotta container, the only decoration of which lies in the parallel streaks soberly emphasizing the neck, highlighting the curve of the lower part. The edges, of a certain thickness, are slightly damaged.
As the old Djenne sites are all in a flood zone, artifacts emerge when the waters recede, the inhabitants sometimes discovering them by chance.
In the Mali Empire, terracotta sculptures with red engobe had a funerary connotation. The strong fragmentation of terracottas is still subject to debate. Indeed, the damage of time and burial certainly played a role, but it would also seem that these pagan works of art were victims of systematic brutal destruction. It appears, however, that the Islamization of West Africa was very superficial ...

Remarkable, African Bura art includes three types of archaeological sites in the Niger Valley: sites with necropolises where coffin jars, funerary urns, etc ... Sites with ritual vocations where ceremonies were happening and the religious rites. The habitation sites where we find the usual objects. Herisse in his height of vertical lines composed of small circular reliefs, this conical receptacle was placed in the tomb of the deceased among personal effects like his weapons and clothing that he might need in the afterlife, among his bones and teeth. The piece has the same patterns placed horizontally around the perimeter of its lower base.

Made in the Cameroonian Grasslands using the traditional decorative technique using multicolored glass beads, this head reproduces the famous effigies of sovereigns. Carefully applied to a terracotta surface, the pearls accentuate the features and the royal headdress with strongly contrasting colors, while padouk powder enhances the inside of the ears and mouth. In African art, the artistic movement of which these sculptures are a part bears the name of the ancient religious capital of Nigeria, Ifè, one of the many city-states established by the Yoruba. This civilization succeeded the Nok civilization. This city-state of Ilé-Ifé, whose rise culminated from the 12th to the 15th century, had an artistic tradition of royal portraits imbued with realism, funeral effigies in bronze but also ...

Made in the Cameroonian Grasslands using the traditional decorative technique using multicolored glass beads, this head reproduces the famous effigies of sovereigns. Carefully applied to a terracotta surface, the pearls accentuate the features and the royal headdress with strongly contrasting colors, while padouk powder enhances the inside of the ears and mouth. In African art, the artistic movement of which these sculptures are a part bears the name of the ancient religious capital of Nigeria, Ifè, one of the many city-states established by the Yoruba. This civilization succeeded the Nok civilization. This city-state of Ilé-Ifé, whose rise culminated from the 12th to the 15th century, had an artistic tradition of royal portraits imbued with realism, funeral effigies in bronze but also ...

This Nok head is accompanied by its thermoluminescence test carried out in 1996 by the German laboratory Ralf Kotalla (TL 961155), which confirms a seniority of more or less 2,200 years. Estimated in the auction room between 2,000 and 2,500 euros, this African terracotta comes from the Guy Mercier collection, consultant for the Solvay group, and passed down from generation to generation. At the beginning of the 20th century, Guy Mercier began to collect a vast collection of African tribal art. While radiating in West and Central Africa as part of his work, and collecting in-situ works, the majority of his collection nevertheless comes from \

A globular body surmounted by a female head styled according to the barrels of the ethnic group affirms the elegance of mangbetu pottery, symbol of fertility. The motifs engraved on the surface echo the traditional scarifications. The work of ceramics, in West and Central Africa, is carried out by women, wives of blacksmiths in the majority of cases. The Mangbetu women, who also produced basketry, excelled in this art.
In the forest in northeastern Zaire, the Mangbetu kingdom has expressed itself through architectural works that impressed European visitors in the 19th century. Their furniture, weapons, adornments and statuary were imbued with a rare aesthetic quality. The Mangbetu story was based on the refinement of his court but also on cannibalistic customs. King Mangbetu Munza ...

Ex-French tribal art collection.
Typical in African art, the kronkronbali Komaland heads, meaning " children of yesteryear", have marked features, often roughly. A mouth with luscious lips. The eyes, nose, eyebrows, beards and whiskers are, more often than not, formed of earthen bulges. The head, at the top, is concave and pierced.
These heads appear to have been sculpted as such, without bodies, reminiscent of the statuary Akan or Anyi. They look like a kind of cork, pressed in a circular way around tumuli, tombs themselves circular and covered with stones. Search subject.
The first ones were discovered in the 1970s and 1980s by German anthropologists who dated them between the 13th and 19th centuries. Base included.

This ceramic vase, whose conical neck is carefully highlighted by successive ribs, and whose regular globular body is adorned with a decorative frieze, affirms the elegance of mangbetu productions. The work of ceramics, in West and Central Africa, is carried out by women, wives of blacksmiths in the majority of cases. The Mangbetu women, who also produced basketry, excelled in this art. Black patina speckled with abraded light areas.
In the forest in northeastern Zaire, the Mangbetu kingdom has expressed itself through architectural works that impressed European visitors in the 19th century. Their furniture, weapons, adornments and statuary were imbued with a rare aesthetic quality. The Mangbetu story was based on the refinement of his court but also on cannibalistic customs. King ...

Symbols of fertility in the traditional and ritual African art of Senegal
Etablie in Lower Casamance, the Diola ethnic group is made up of Floup, Baïnouk, Mandjak, and Balante. They derive their livelihood from growing rice, eaten reduced to flour. The Mandjak practice weaving. The blacksmiths, from a caste of two families, also work the wood and are supposed to transmit leprosy and cure it. The artisanal life of the Diola is distinguished by the creation of jewelry, ceremonial adornments, weaving, basketry, leather and metal work. In addition to the manufacture of abundant basketry, the Diola work not only terracotta for a utilitarian but also ritual purpose, the animist cults maintain themselves despite the presence of Islam.  The steps of the manufacture of this naturalistic ...

Ex-spanish African art collection.
Made in the Cameroonian Grasslands using the traditional decorative technique using multicolored glass beads, this head reproduces the famous effigies of sovereigns. Meticulously applied to a terracotta surface, the beads accentuate the features and the royal headdress with strongly contrasting colours, while padouk powder lifts the inside of the ears and mouth.
In African art, the artistic current of which these sculptures are part is named after the ancient religious capital of Nigeria, Ifè, one of the many city-states established by the Yoruba.This civilization succeeded the Nok civilization. This city-state of Ilé-Ifé, whose rise culminated from the 12th to the 15th century, had an artistic tradition of royal portraits imbued with ...

Made in the Cameroonian Grasslands using the traditional decorative technique using multicolored glass beads, this head reproduces the famous effigies of sovereigns. Meticulously applied to a terracotta surface, the beads accentuate the features and the royal headdress with strongly contrasting colours, while padouk powder lifts the inside of the ears and mouth.
In African art, the artistic current of which these sculptures are part is named after the ancient religious capital of Nigeria, Ifè, one of the many city-states established by the Yoruba.This civilization succeeded the Nok civilization. This city-state of Ilé-Ifé, whose rise culminated from the 12th to the 15th century, had an artistic tradition of royal portraits imbued with realism, funerary effigies in bronze but also in ...