African Arts Gallery

The Ashanti , Asante , mastered the art of lost wax casting, the copper metal being sacred, in order to produce ritual and prestigious objects, such as < b> Kuduo made of brass which were intended, in addition to the storage of gold dust, for family and royal domestic worship. This semi-spherical mask intended for hanging is adorned with an abundance of fine decorative motifs. Dark patina with green inlays.
The Ashanti are one of the ethnic groups of Ghana (former "Gold Coast"), of the group of Akans, living in a region covered with forests. Just like other people living in the central and southern part of Ghana, they speak a language of the Twi group. This people considers the woman as the final arbiter of all decisions. Fertility and children are the most common themes ...

Figurative bronze representing the Oni, king of Ifé cradle city of the Yoruba, wearing a very detailed crown. Nowadays the King of Ifé wears a similar function badge, formed of a braided vertical segment ending in a pointed bulge. Such a head was attached to the top of a wooden effigy, dressed to represent the deceased king at the funeral, then buried after the ceremony in a sanctuary near the palace. Smooth texture, golden copper patina. The city of Ifé in Nigeria was in the 15th century the center of a powerful state in the forests west of the Niger delta. Bronze work was a prerogative of the "oni" king, using the lost wax technique. These prestigious objects embodying the sovereigns were placed on the royal altars for ceremonial use. It would be a craftsman from Ilé-Ifé who would ...

The leopard, depicting the royal power, has a central place in the culture of the benign kingdom because this animal appears in the founding myth of which King Ewuare is the hero. According to legend, he wakes up after spending a night next to a leopard and a snake without realizing it. As in other cosmogonies, animals are the manifestation or even the embodiment of supernatural forces. To be spared by these predators is therefore a sign of a divine blessing.
Before the destruction of the palace of the Kingdom of Benin in 1897, the divine character of kings, the Oba , was illustrated by multiple works celebrating their power. War scenes were reproduced on narrative plates, in bronze, and affixed to the walls. Sumptuous bronze altars, commemorative figures of deceased chefs, heavy ...

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 an ethnic group called Kotoko. . More than an ethnic group, the Sao are a civilization that has now disappeared. ...

Ex-collection African art from Belgium.
Seated figurative couple. They wear the traditional hairstyle and a necklace-talisman. Velvety khaki patina.
The populations of the same cultural region, grouped under the name "Lobi", form one fifth of the inhabitants of Burkina Faso. Although they are not very numerous in Ghana, they have also settled in the north of the Ivory Coast. It was at the end of the eighteenth 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, the latter being supposed to protect them, with the help of the diviner, against a ...

Bronze depicting a high-ranking character, adorned with ornaments and with a face marked with vertical "kpélé" scarifications. A deep cup, with thin edges, surmounts his head.
Gray patina.
Yoruba society has several associations whose roles vary. While the male egbe society reinforces social norms, the aro unites the farmers. The gelede has more esoteric and religious aims. Notables come together in a society called esusu. Offering cups, some of which were used to store kola nuts or other gifts for visitors, were once placed in royal palaces in the Ekiti and Igbomina regions of Yoruba country. The kingdoms of Oyo and Ijebu arose following the disappearance of the Ifé civilization and are still the basis of the political structure of the Yoruba . The Oyo created two ...

Benin African art is described as court art because it is closely associated with the king, known as Oba. The tradition of bronze court objects from the Benin Kingdom dates back to the 14th century. The many brass 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. These rectangular altars were surmounted by heads, statues, carved ivory tusks, bells and staves. They were used to commemorate an oba and to get in touch with his spirit. The craftsmen of Benin also produced figures of riders on horseback, representing according to the interpretations, either a Benin king, or a Yoruba emissary of the cavalry of Oyo. It could also be Oranmiyan, who ...

This late African bronze, made from a work that was made on the death of the queen, depicts a queen mother of Benin named the Iyoba, whose neck is surrounded by multiple necklaces of coral beads. Her high curved hairstyle was also made up of a mesh of pearls falling on either side of the face. After the birth of the future king, the queen was "removed" from power and could no longer father. But at the end of the 15th century the Oba Esigie refused to conform to this practice and wanted to attribute the city of Uselu to his mother. She also received a palace and many privileges. In recognition she raised an army to go and fight the Igala of the North. The Oba cast a head in his effigy, among many works cast in lost wax, to place them on his altar after his death.

The African art of Benin is described as a court art because it is closely associated with the king, known as Oba. The tradition of bronze classroom 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. These rectangular altars were surmounted by heads, statues, carved ivory tusks, bells and sticks. They were used to commemorate an oba and to get in touch with his spirit. This late sculpture, which was made on the death of the Queen, depicts a queen mother of Benin named the Iyoba , whose neck is surrounded by multiple necklaces of coral beads. Her high curved ...

Bronze sculptures in African Grassland art.
Ceremonial pipe intended for ceremonies, offering along the stem, an openwork section composed of elephant heads then a figure evoking a bird with protruding eyes. Golden copper patina.
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. Several centralized chiefdoms, or kingdoms, based on customary associations, secret societies, are organized around the Fon who would have broad supernatural powers including that of being able to change into an animal. The chiefs of the Cameroonian Grasslands, the Fon, reputed to hold treasures of works of art, including bracelets, necklaces, statues, bells, valued ...

Figurative bronze representing the Oni, king of Ifé cradle city of the Yoruba, wearing a detailed crown. Nowadays the King of Ifé wears a similar function badge, formed of a braided vertical segment ending in a pointed bulge. Such a head was attached to the top of a wooden effigy, dressed to represent the deceased king at the funeral, then buried after the ceremony in a sanctuary near the palace. Black patina, abrasions.
The city of Ifé in Nigeria was in the 15th century the center of a powerful state in the forests west of the Niger delta. Bronze work was a prerogative of the "oni" king, using the lost wax technique. These prestigious objects embodying the sovereigns were placed on the royal altars for ceremonial use. It would be a craftsman from Ilé-Ifé who would have taught ...

Used as an amulet credited with apotropaic virtues, this small bronze sculpture constitutes, for the Sao, a talisman supposed to protect them from madness. It is therefore worn at all times. The genie that would possess the madman is represented by the rider, the horse representing the victim. This rider, wearing a chèche, rides an equine, which was a rare attribute of prestige in these regions of the Sahel, and has a lustrous patina. The Sao, ancestors of the Kotoko, were established between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries in a geographical area stretching across the borders between Chad, northern Cameroon and Nigeria. They settled on hills, which allowed them to repel invaders. Subjected to successive assaults by their neighbors from Kanem and then by hordes from the East, ...

Bronze sculpture depicting a mythical horseman, ancestor or Dogon religious leader. Pale green patina.
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.
Dogon blacksmiths form an endogamous caste among the Dogon called ...

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 ...

In African art, the artistic current of which these sculptures belong 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 growth culminated from the 12th to the 15th century, had an artistic tradition of realistic royal portraits, bronze and terracotta funerary effigies. The parallel folds drawn on the neck would evoke the folds of flesh of the prosperous notables, and the hollowed-out parts that accompany it were to be used to secure the king's beaded veil. The parallel lines of the face are traditional scarifications. The holes around the mouth likely symbolized a beard created by the insertion of hair or beads.
The bronze heads were ...

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, resurrected 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.
The 1931 Dakar-Djibouti mission, led by Marcel Griaule, was tasked with studying in depth the rites of this population established in the region of the Bandiagara cliffs, to ...

This sculpture depicting a Portuguese soldier, made using the lost wax casting process, has a blaster. Richly dressed, he wears a traditional tunic, hip dagger, helmet, and anklets. Shaded gray patina. The Portuguese arrived in Benin in the 15th century, equipped with a military arsenal which aroused great interest among the kings. The power of firearms was then naturally associated with the capacity for occult defense against invisible enemies. In the 16th century, Europeans played a major role in the court of the Oba: they imported corals and glass beads there, as well as shackles, highly coveted by the king and his courtiers.
At the same time, their soldiers took part in the military campaigns of Benin, in particular against the kingdom of Idah. The character's blaster therefore ...

The African art of the Bamoun, and the regalia associated with sovereignty. This Bamoun dignitary necklace, or Bamoum, is adorned with 13 heads arranged on a metal strapping. This iconography symbolizes royalty. When they sit, the members of the court council of Sultan Bamoun wear this distinctive adornment of their office, the mbangba , "mgba-mgba", which contributes according to them to strengthen their prestige and ward off any evil power. Among the Bamoun, it is the fon , the head of the Kingdom or the chiefdom, who will offer this necklace to deserving men.
Total height on base: 56 cm.

The Bamoun live in a region that is both full of wooded landforms but also of savannas. This large territory called Grassland located in the southwest of Cameroon is also the seat ...

Dogon blacksmith artists form an endogamous caste among the Dogon called irim. Nowadays they produce weapons, tools, and also work with wood. "Masters of fire", they are also supposed to heal burns (Huib Blom). The Nommo, protective ancestor evoked in different forms in Dogon iconography, would be an ancestor endowed with the ability to manifest himself in human or animal form, hence the frequent decorative motifs adorning the sculptures. The wavelet friezes are also symbolic. This is a piece of rare elegance, the ovoid container resting on the shape of a scorpion, the lid bears a hornbill figure. Khaki green patina.
The Dogon are a people renowned for their cosmogony, their myths and their rituals. Their population is estimated at around 300,000 souls living in the south-west of ...

This ring is a symbol of prestige, copper being a sacred metal, and its animal motifs recall the Senufo genesis. Named "ring of silence", probably by virtue of the secrecy to which the initiates are subjected, it was sometimes worn on the left hand, sometimes held between the teeth by healers during ceremonies with a therapeutic aim. Total height on base (removable ring) : 8 cm. Mainly farmers, the Senoufo group lives in a savannah region that covers the south of Mali and Burkina Faso, and the north of the Ivory Coast. It includes about fifty sub-ethnic groups. The Senufo speak a Voltaic language, Gur, like the Lobi and Koulango. If among the five groups of Senoufo artisans the kulibèlé are sculptors, the fonombèlé are both smiths and sculptors, claiming to be directly inspired ...

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 an ethnic group called Kotoko. . More than an ethnic group, the Sao are a civilization that has now disappeared. ...