African Arts Gallery

This prestigious comb with a feminine patterned handle was used to shape the braided hairstyles of its owner. This type of hair adornment was patiently developed around a structure, which required long hours. The figurative combs, containing figures and motifs associated with the cosmos and the myths of the clan, are indeed widespread throughout West and Central Africa, where the art of styling takes on its full meaning. These ceremonial hairstyles, or more simply those of everyday life, highlight the head, the seat of intelligence, wisdom and meditation.
Smooth-used patina.
The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, the Bwende, the Dondo/Kamba, the Yombé and the Kongo constituted the Kongo group, led by King ntotela . Their kingdom reached its apogee in the 16th century with the ivory, copper and slave trade. With similar beliefs and traditions, they have produced a statuary with a codified gesture in relation to their worldview. Their realistic masks took part in the initiation ceremonies and funerals of notables, and their nailed fetish statues, nkondi, were laden with magical elements by the nganga