African Arts Gallery

A slender figure evoking a mythical ancestor, a nommos, a primordial being in Dogon mythology. Reddish-brown patina.
Dogon blacksmiths form an endogamous caste among the Dogon called irim. Today, they produce weapons, tools, and also work with wood. "Masters of fire" associated in 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 region of the inner Niger Delta, copper arriving there thanks to trans-Saharan trade. Excavations on the Bandiagara Plateau have indeed uncovered remains of steelmaking sites prior to the 15th century, the date of the arrival of the Dogon. The Nommo, a protective ancestor evoked in different forms in Dogon ...

Dressed in a loincloth and wearing necklaces, the realistically depicted subject offers an imposing head in which the eyes seem blind. Golden khaki patina.
The dwarves of the king's entourage or Oba, who appeared in the 15th century, were intended 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.

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. Warlike scenes glorifying them were reproduced on narrative plaques, in bronze, and affixed to the walls. Sumptuous ...

In the Djenne style, this highly detailed miniature bronze statuette of a horseman on horseback is inspired by sculptures dating from the 11th to the 17th century that emerged from archaeological excavations at the Djenne-Djenno site. These terracotta objects have been attributed to the Mali Empire, and the horsemen, who likely represent dignitaries, are a reflection of the prestige associated with owning a horse. The functions of these sculptures remain unknown, however. Dark patina, ochre residue.

French collection of African art
Made in bronze, this African statuette represents a notable of the Kuba court, perhaps a wife or an ancestor of royal blood, kneeling. The green patina is speckled. Here and there clay residues are noted. The Kuba, established between the Sankuru and Kasaï rivers, are made up of several tribes such as the Bushoong, Ngeendé, Binji, Wongo, Kété, etc. Each of these tribes produced a variety of sculptures related to royalty, including statues, prestige objects, and masks decorated with geometric designs.

This figurative fetish statuette is said to be a divinatory fetish object. It would be of Tussia origin, Senoufo sub-group of Burkina-Faso. Irregular greenish-grey granular patina
. The Senoufos, the name given to them by the French colonists, are mainly composed of farmers who are scattered between Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso. Councils of elders, led by an elected chief, administer Senufo villages. Governed by matrilineal traditions, they are composed of clusters of dwellings named katiolo. Each has its own Poro association that initiates young boys from the age of seven in a succession of three cycles lasting seven years . They gather in a sacred enclosure called sinzanga located near the village, among the trees. Upon the death of one of the Poro members, ...

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 ...

Ancestor figure, talisman of individual protection, green patina rubbed with pink ocher for a ritual purpose.
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. With the same beliefs and traditions, they produced a statuary endowed with a codified gesture in relation to their vision of the world. The nganga, both healers, were in charge of religious activities and mediation with the God called Nzambi through consecrated figures. Nkisis protective figures are crafted and charged by the nganga with all the necessary ingredients to combat a variety of ailments.
Source: "The Kôngo gesture" Ed. Dapper Museum; "Animal" ed. Dapper Museum; "Art and Kongos" M.L. Felix; "Kongo Power and Majesty" A. ...

Used as an amulet credited with apotropaic virtues, this bronze sculpture 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, a rare attribute of prestige in these regions of the Sahel, 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 an ethnic group called Kotoko. . ...

This rare statuette depicting an androgynous being with strangely webbed feet and hands offers a face with prominent features, characterized by bulbous eyelids, pointed, horizontal ears, and a sagittal crest. The body is adorned with linear scarifications in checkerboard pattern originating from the neck. The latter is outlined with a torque, while a belt marks the hips and ankle rings the legs.
The Vere , Verre , Were, Duru-Verre, or Dii, live in northeastern Nigeria, in the state of Adamawa (formerly Gongola), and in northern Cameroon. This very small population lives in circular huts grouped in fortified villages.
The Vere statuettes, whose function remains unknown, are rare, and present analogies with the works produced by the Mumuye, their close neighbors ...

Belgian African art collection.
African statuette embodying an ancestor. The subject, with a protective aim, bears the keloid patterns testifying to the successive stages of the initiation to which he was subjected. Khaki patina rubbed with pink ocher for a ritual purpose.
Established on the plateaus of the People's Republic of Congo ex.Brazzaville, and not to be confused with the Bembe group of northern Lake Tanganinyika, the small Bwende group was influenced by Téké rites and culture, but especially by that of the Kongo. 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 ...

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 ...

Ex-collection of African art from a Parisian gallery owner whose identity will be communicated to the buyer.
Pair of African bronzes depicting a couple with objects, in a dynamic posture. One of the male subject's feet is placed on that of his partner, as if to curb the momentum of the second subject. The bodies are streaked with scarifications. Irregular black patina, chips, residual verdigris pigments.
The Vere, Verre , Were, Duru-Verre, or even Dii, live in the northeast of Nigeria, in the state of Adamawa (former Gongola), and in the north of Cameroon. This very small population lives in circular huts grouped into fortified villages.
The Vere statuettes, whose function remains unknown, are rare, and present analogies with the works produced by the Mumuye, ...

Extract from a Belgian African tribal art collection of 17 pieces representing different subjects.

This object comes from northeastern Nigeria near Lake Chad, around Maiduguri, in the state of Borno, which is currently relatively inaccessible because it is controlled by armed Islamist groups. The dominant language is Kanuri.
It is a rare piece, associated with protective spirits, which was buried in the ground in order to preserve crops from animals or thieves. The Damosaka families, a very little known minority ethnic group in the region, had this type of ritual object. We have no information about them. This is a male figure whose hands meet in front of the bust. Very thick grainy patina of verdigris oxidation. Stone-like clumps remain on the coin.

Kneeling subject promoting lineage. The flared hairstyle is that of the Totshi chiefs belonging to the ikoho association and evokes particular proverbs. It symbolizes respect, intelligence and maturity. The patterns engraved in relief refer to the scarifications which socially and aesthetically distinguished individuals. Golden patina. A people from Central Africa established in Kasai, neighboring the Kuba, the Ndengese form one of the clans descended from a common Mongo ancestor, some of them being originally of the Upper Nile. They produced primitive art statues with absent or truncated lower limbs, covered with graphic symbols, symbolizing the prestige of the leader. Ref.: “Treasures of Africa” Tervuren Museum.

Late sculpture of the Edo type, in bronze alloy. It features a seated dignitary, which could represent the Oba Ewuakpe who was forced to wear a European helmet after being deprived of his prerogatives because of a rebellion. Black abraded patina.
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 were reproduced on narrative plaques, in bronze, and affixed to the walls. Sumptuous bronze altars, commemorative figures of deceased chiefs, heavy bracelets, anklets and recades were produced in quantity in many foundry workshops using the lost wax casting technique. The numerous brass heads and statues created by the artists of Benin were reserved for the ...

Subject depicting a dwarf, or "madman", which appeared in the 15th century in the king's entourage, and were intended not only for diversion, but also for surveillance. Occult gifts were also attributed to them. According to Fagg, these figures were also acrobats and illusionists. This type of bronze sculpture must have adorned the altars of the ancestors.
Brown patina. In African art, Benin art is described as court art because it is closely associated with the king, or Oba.

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. Warlike scenes glorifying them were reproduced on narrative plaques, in bronze, and affixed to the walls. Sumptuous ...

These sticks with a figurative pattern forming the Edan were worn as a pendant around the neck by members of the Ogboni society. Smooth khaki patina.
Height on base: 27 cm.
The Ogboni or Oshugbo secret society is one of the most famous Yoruba religious worship societies. Some have suggested that the feminine and masculine representations could allude to the sky as a male entity and to the earth symbolizing femininity, or to the founding couple of human society. Although some Ogboni works are made of wood, terracotta, or ivory, the majority are made of iron-reinforced brass, which has a connection with Osun, the goddess of the river and fertility. Iron is also sacred to Osun, god of tools and weapons. The Ogboni expression, "Ogbodirin" means "Grow old and still be as strong as ...

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 ...

This bronze figurine, with prominent features, was worn as a pendant around the neck by members of the Ogboni society. It was usually accompanied, connected by a chain, by a similar figure of the opposite sex, forming the Edan . Greenish-brown crusty patina, rusty inlays.
The Ogboni/Ogoni people are spread over a small area of the Gulf of Guinea, east of the city of Port Harcourt in Nigeria. Like other peoples in the Gulf of Guinea, the Ogonis have an internal political structure run by leaders. They are among the peoples who escaped the black trade during the slave era thanks to relative geographical isolation.

The secret society Ogboni or Oshugbo is one of the most famous religious societies that worship the Owner of the Earth, Onilè , and it is still powerful today. ...

Ex English private collection of African art.

These altar heads created using the lost wax technique are very loaded with details and patterns. The figures with realistic features have facial scarification and many finely detailed ornaments. This pair of busts presents a beautiful symmetry. The two figures wear a cross-braced garment with a collar bearing a bell.
The horns themselves are covered with geometric patterns and sculpted faces. At the top of each horn sits a soldier, helmet on his head and weapon in his fist.

The art of Benin is described as a court art because it is closely associated with the king, known as the oba. The tradition of Ifè bronze court objects dates back to the 14th century.

The numerous bronze heads and ...