African Arts Gallery

Collection of African Belgian art
The frequent representations of riders among the Dogon of Mali refer to their cosmogony and their complex religious myths. Indeed, one of the Nommos, ancestors of men, resuscitated by the creator god Amma, descended to earth carried by an ark transformed into a horse. In addition, the highest authority of the Dogon people, the religious leader named Hogon, paraded on his mount during his enthronement because according to custom he was not to set foot on the ground. In the region of the cliffs of Sangha, inaccessible on horseback, the priests wore it, while neighing in reference to the mythical ancestor Nommo. Ocher brown patina. Dogon blacksmiths form an endogamous caste among the Dogon called irim. They now produce weapons, tools, and also work ...

Arm or ankle bracelet used by the Jonga and Hamba groups in Congo Kinshasa around the 1950s for the payment of the dowry. (""The Perfect Form" R. Ballarini, p. 291) Adapted base on request.
In Africa, before the colonial period, payments were never made in coins. Transactions were made using cowries, pearls, cattle, kola nuts, but also metals, especially iron. These primitive currencies were used during commercial and social exchanges, for dowries in particular, but could also constitute objects of parade or throwing weapons. In Sierra Leone, goods were valued against iron bars called barriferri. In 1556 in Djenné Jean-Léon the African observed that the populations used iron to pay for "things of little value". The king generally controlled the production or routing of the ...

Used as an amulet credited with apotropaic virtues, this small African sculpture in bronze constitutes, for the Sao, a talisman supposed to protect them from madness. It is therefore worn permanently. The genius who possesses the madman is represented by the rider, the horse representing the victim. The Sao, ancestors of the Kotoko, were established between the 12th and 14th centuries in a geographical area extending over the borders between Chad, northern Cameroon and Nigeria. Subjected to successive attacks from their neighbors in Kanem and then to hordes from the East, the Sao had to abandon their lands to settle in the North-West of Cameroon where they mixed with the natives, thus giving birth to the Kotokos. The Kotoko still attribute today to the copper metal a mythical origin ...

Recurring within Tikar decorative art, figures with salient features, slender and arched limbs adorn this vase. Concentric and parallel patterns adorn the surface. Black patina with golden reflections. Abrasions.
The identity of the collector will be transmitted upon acquisition.
Located in the border region of Nigeria, the North West province of Cameroon, the Grassland is made up of several ethnic groups: Tikar, Anyang, Widekum, Chamba, Bamoun and Bamileke. The chiefs of the Cameroonian Grasslands, the Fon, reputed to hold treasures of works of art, including bracelets, necklaces, statues, bells, valued the founders and sculptors in the service of the kingdom. These productions, without which the chief would lose his prestige, aimed to magnify the role of the fon. The ...

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 ...

African bronze sculpture, evoking the highest Dogon authority, the religious leader named Hogon, riding his mount during his enthronement. According to custom, he was not to set foot on the ground. In the region of the cliffs of Sangha, inaccessible on horseback, the priests wore it, while neighing in reference to the mythical ancestor Nommo. The frequent depictions of horsemen among the Dogon of Mali refer to their cosmogony and their complex religious myths. Indeed, one of the Nommos, ancestors of men, resuscitated by the creator god Amma, descended to earth carried by an ark transformed into a horse. Dogon blacksmiths form an endogamous caste among the Dogon called irim. They now produce weapons, tools, and also work with wood. "Masters of fire", they are also supposed to heal burns ...

Dogon pots are used to store ointments, tobacco, but also serve to marabouts as oracle pots. This spherical container has a lid on which sits a horseman. Light green patina with ocher reflections.
Abrasions. The frequent depictions of horsemen among the Dogon of Mali refer to their cosmogony and their complex religious myths. Indeed, one of the Nommos, ancestors of men, resuscitated by the creator god Amma, descended to earth carried by an ark transformed into a horse. In addition, the highest authority of the Dogon people, the religious leader named Hogon, paraded on his mount during his enthronement because according to custom he was not to set foot on the ground. In the region of the cliffs of Sangha, inaccessible on horseback, the priests wore it, while neighing in reference to ...

Placed on the altar dedicated to the queen mother from the 16th century in Benin City in Nigeria, the bronze depicting a rooster, Okpa, glorified royal power with its haughty appearance. If poultry in Benin were offerings for the god Olokun, the rooster also symbolizes the oldest wife of the Oba, and this is still present in family harems. The expression "the rooster crows the loudest" indeed describes the authority, wisdom and experience of the eldest wife. This type of sculpture, a metaphor for pride and self-confidence, therefore sat on the altar of the Oba and that of his mother.
Before the destruction of the palace of the Kingdom of Benin in 1897, the divine character of the kings, the Oba, was illustrated by multiple works, mainly bronze sculptures, celebrating their power. ...

African art from the Benin Kingdom
Before the destruction of the palace of the kingdom of Benin in 1897, the divine character of the kings, the Oba, was illustrated by multiple works celebrating their power. The killing of the king of animals associated with legends, the leopard, was the privilege of the chief, the Oba. The feline could then serve as an offering for the cult of the chief's head. Sometimes tamed by various royal guilds, it accompanied the leader on his travels. The Oba, named "child of the leopard of the house", could also offer the teeth or the skin to commanders whose loyalty was manifest. The rich Benin iconography is therefore full of references to this animal, such as the aquamaniles. This specimen decorated with ocelli has a black and green patina.

Subject whose morphology refers to the dwarves of the king's entourage. Dwarfs made their appearance at the Benin court in the 15th century, not only for diversion, but also for surveillance. Occult gifts were indeed attributed to them. According to Fagg, these characters were also acrobats and illusionists. Their bronze figures were to adorn the altars of the ancestors. Abraded brown patina. In African art, the art of Benin is described as court art because it is closely associated with the king, known as Oba.
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Before the destruction of the palace of the kingdom of Benin in 1897, the divine character of the kings, the Oba, was illustrated by multiple codified works celebrating their power. Sumptuous bronze altars, commemorative figures of deceased chiefs, majestic felines, ...

Embodying a female ancestor, this character wears a panties and jewelry. Small spheres punctuate the sculpture. Light green patina.
The populations of the same cultural region, grouped together under the name "lobi", form a fifth of the inhabitants of Burkina Faso. Few in number in Ghana, they have also settled in the north of Côte d'Ivoire. It was at the end of the 18th century that the Lobi, coming from North Ghana, established themselves 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, whom they address through the worship of many intermediary spirits, the Thil, these the latter being supposed to protect them, with the help of the diviner, against a host of plagues. Bush genies, ...

Minimalist animal figure, in metal. Black grainy patina. LOBI communities are organized around nature spirits. When honored, these spirits show their benevolence in the form of abundant rainfall, good health, and numerous births; when ignored, they withdraw it and bring devastating epidemics, drought, and suffering. These spirits transmit to the diviners the laws that the followers must follow to receive their protection. These spirits are represented by wooden or copper sculptures called BATEBA (large or small, figurative or abstract, they adopt different attitudes that symbolize the power or the particular talent that the spirit uses to protect its owners). These figurines are placed on family altars, in a dark corner of the owners' house, along with various sculptures embodying ...

Longiform subjects rising from a flat base, depicting the primordial ancestors of the Dogon. These African Dogon statues, in bronze, are indeed associated with the Nommos, mythical beings at the origin of creation among the Dogon of Mali. These "walkers" evoke the sculptures of the famous Giacometti. Their surface is hammered with notches. Brown patina.

The Dogon are a people renowned for their cosmogony, their esotericism, their myths and legends. Their population is estimated at around 300,000 souls living in the south-west of the Niger loop in the Mopti region of Mali (Bandiagara, Koro, Banka), near Douentza and part of northern Burkina (north-west of Ouahigouya ). The villages are often perched at the top of the scree on the hillside, according to a unique architecture. ...

Longiform silhouettes, erected on a base, depicting the primordial ancestors of the Dogon. These African Dogon statues, in bronze, indeed evoke the Nommos, mythical beings at the origin of creation among the Dogon of Mali. Also reminiscent of the sculptures of the famous Giacometti, they are represented in the position of invocation, arms raised towards the sky. Their surface is punctuated by a succession of notches. Orange-brown patina.

The Dogon are a people renowned for their cosmogony, their esotericism, their myths and legends. Their population is estimated at around 300,000 souls living in the south-west of the Niger loop in the Mopti region of Mali (Bandiagara, Koro, Banka), near Douentza and part of northern Burkina (north-west of Ouahigouya ). The villages are ...

The gan bronzes, metal objects melted by the blacksmith using the lost wax technique, form individual protective fetishes. They embody a sacred mythical animal whose role was crucial for man, and are available in the motifs of the turtle, chameleon, crocodile or panther. Some, composing the royal regalia, were placed in shrines.

This flat, circular pendant, a prestigious piece of jewelry intended for a dignitary on important occasions, depicts a chameleon coiled around itself, around a striated spiral element. The body is decorated with friezes in broken lines. Light brown golden patina. Neighboring people of the Lobi in southwestern Burkina Faso, the Gan or Kaa (Kaaba pl.), form a "relic people" according to Madeleine Père, living within a wooded savanna. Their king ...

In African tribal 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, funerary effigies in bronze but also in terracotta. The parallel folds traced on the neck would evoke the folds of flesh of the prosperous notables, and the hollowed out parts which accompany it were to be used to fix the beaded veil of the king. The parallel lines of the face represent the traditional scarifications. The openings around the mouth likely represented a beard created by the ...

This commemorative figure of a benign dignitary, represented seated, forms an intermediary between the spiritual world and the Edo people, and is distinguished by its ornaments in agate and coral beads. The kings of Benin being soldiers above all, he is represented with symbolic attributes illustrating power. This bronze could constitute the top of a stick. Before the destruction of the palace of the Kingdom of Benin in 1897, the divine character of the kings, the Oba, was illustrated by multiple works celebrating their power. War scenes glorifying them were reproduced on narrative plaques, in bronze, and affixed to the walls. Sumptuous bronze altars, commemorative figures of deceased chiefs, majestic felines, heavy bracelets, anklets and recades were produced in quantity in many ...

The African art of Benin is described as court art because it is closely associated with the king, known as the Oba. The tradition of bronze court objects from the Benin Kingdom dates back to the 14th century. The many bronze alloy heads and statues created by the artists of Benin were reserved for the exclusive use of the inhabitants of the royal palace and, more often than not, placed on altars consecrated by each new Oba. This late sculpture, reminiscent of those made when the queen died, features a queen mother of Benin named the Iyoba, whose neck is encircled with multiple necklaces of coral beads. Her high hairstyle was also made up of a mesh of pearls falling on either side of her face. After the birth of the future king, the queen was "removed" from power and could no longer ...

These haughty African sculptures embody the primordial couple Nommos at the origin of creation among the Dogon of Mali. Evoking the sculptures of Giacometti, these bronze statues with slender bodies are punctuated by a succession of notches.
Light brown patina.
The Dogon are a people renowned for their cosmogony, their esotericism, their myths and legends. Their population is estimated at around 300,000 souls living in the south-west of the Niger loop in the Mopti region of Mali (Bandiagara, Koro, Banka), near Douentza and part of northern Burkina (north-west of Ouahigouya ). The villages are often perched on top of the scree on the side of the hills, according to a unique architecture. The history of Dogon migrations and settlements (about ten main groups, about fifteen ...

In African art , works of Sao Sokoto inspiration are mostly imprinted with the equestrian world.
Within the ethnic group, small examples of riders, usually in bronze, are cast and worn like talismans, patinated and polished by friction. They are considered above all as a remedy to fight against possession by evil spirits. The horse represents the spirit of the person who is possessed, while the genius who possesses it is symbolized by the rider.
Subjected to successive attacks from their neighbors in Kanem and then to hordes from the East, the Sao had to abandon their lands to settle in the North-West of Cameroon where they mixed with the natives, thus giving birth to the Kotoko. More than an ethnic group, the Sao are a civilization that has now disappeared. They were found ...

The primordial couple Nommos, at the origin of creation among the Dogon of Mali, is here embodied by these slender silhouettes in motion. Dark brown patina.
The Dogon are a people renowned for their cosmogony, their esotericism, their myths and legends. Their population is estimated at around 300,000 souls living in the south-west of the Niger loop in the Mopti region of Mali (Bandiagara, Koro, Banka), near Douentza and part of northern Burkina (north-west of Ouahigouya ). The villages are often perched on top of the scree on the side of the hills, according to a unique architecture. The history of Dogon migrations and settlements (about ten main groups, about fifteen different languages) bears on several hypotheses. For some historians, the Dogon would have fled from an area west ...