African Arts Gallery

French collection of African art
Height on base: 14 cm.
Greenish patien. The Dogon of Mali are known for their frequent representations of horsemen, which echo their cosmogony and their complex religious myths. According to these stories, one of the Nommos, ancestors of men, was resurrected by the creator god Amma and descended to earth carried by an ark transformed into a horse. In addition, during his enthronement, the highest religious authority of the Dogon people, the religious leader called Hogon, paraded on his mount, not being allowed to set foot on the ground according to custom. In the region of the Sangha cliffs, where access by horse is impossible, the priests carried him, evoking the mythical ancestor Nommo by neighing. The Dogon blacksmiths, forming an ...

French collection of African art Ancient traditional Mossi adornment that could also become money, as part of the dowry or various exchanges.
Upper Volta, Burkina Faso since independence, is made up of the descendants of the invaders, horsemen who came from Ghana in the 15th century, named Nakomse, and the Tengabibisi, descendants of the natives. Political power is in the hands of the Nakomse, who assert their power through statues, while the priests and religious leaders come from the Tengabisi, who use masks during their ceremonies. Animists, the Mossi worship a creator god named Wende. Each individual is said to have a soul, sigha, linked to a totemic animal.

African manillas were first used in the Benin kingdom and then in southern Nigeria via the Niger Delta and the Cross River. From the 15th century, they were exported by the Portuguese and then until the 18th century by the English from factories based in Birmingham and by the French from Nantes. They were produced in industrial quantities in order to be exchanged for palm oil, ivory, spices, etc. They were not only used as currency (for slaves or as a wedding dowry) but had an ornamental and ceremonial use.
Ref.: "The Perfect Form", R. Ballarini.

The lagoon populations of eastern Côte d'Ivoire mainly include the Attié, Akyé, Ebrié and Abouré. Their sculptures offer many similarities. These kingdoms had the first trading establishments offering gold, ivory, slaves and pepper to Westerners. Their history is marked by their stormy relations with the Portuguese, Dutch and English settlers in this coastal region where an intense trade in gold and slaves took place. Among the Akan group, the Attié, from Akye-Fo, "the holders of the blade", are divided between those of the North and those of the South. The Attié, producers of palm oil, also harvest yams, corn and bananas. Their traditional and festive ceremonies are an opportunity to display a wide variety of objects, some of which are made of gold or covered in gold. (source: Trésors ...

Worn on the left to protect the forearm from impacts, this functional adornment was intended for archers. In Rwanda, the Tutsi used a pad covered with grass, and wooden protections called igitembe were therefore rare. Minor abrasions. Height on base: 28 cm.
A nomadic people, the Tutsi were particularly decimated by the Islamic slave trade and by recurring internal wars. The population groups called "Interlacustrine Bantu", established between Lake Victoria and the Limpopo River, include the Ganda, Nyoro, Nkole, Soga, Toro, Hima, and the Tutsi of Rwanda and Burundi. Their cultures have similarities, as do their artistic production and their objects of daily use. The Tutsi raise livestock. They also excel in the art of weaving and basketry. Source: "Africa, the art of a continent" ...

Ex.Belgian collection of African art A semi-circular fragment of a bracelet or a torque that could have been used by certain groups in the Congo before the 1950s for the payment of the dowry. This type of metal object could also be a badge of power as among the Sundi.
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 in commercial and social exchanges, especially for dowries, but could also be parade objects or throwing weapons. In Sierra Leone, goods were valued in relation to iron bars called barriferri. In 1556 in Djenné Jean-Léon l'Africain observed that the populations used iron to pay for "things of little value". ...

Ex. French coll. of African art
Ornamental rattle that was available to members of the Ogboni society. Old heterogeneous golden/brown patina. The secret society Ogboni or Oshugbo of the Yoruba is one of the most famous religious cult societies that venerates the Owner of the Earth, Onilè, and it is still powerful today. Although some Ogboni works are made of wood, terracotta, or ivory, the majority are made of brass reinforced with iron, which has a link to Osun, the goddess of the river and fertility. Iron is also sacred to Ogun, god of tools and weapons. The Ogboni expression, "Ogbodirin" means "Grow old and always be as strong as iron". Similarly, the motto of the Ogboni society is "Longevity and prosperity".

Prestigious ornaments of African art
This silver fon bracelet was worn on the arm by the village chief. It is indeed etymologically the meaning of the name "abagan", "aba" meaning arm and "gan" meaning chief.
This bracelet is composed of chains linking a decorative subject, a rectangular volume topped by a cut-out forming the silhouette of a bat.
The Fon are currently located in a region of the Republic of Benin called the Kingdom of Dahomay. According to the legend, a princess of Yoruba origin would have created this kingdom before the 17th century.

Prestigious ornaments of African art
This silver fon bracelet was, as its name suggests, worn on the arm by the village chief. It is indeed etymologically the meaning of the name "abagan", "aba" meaning arm and "gan" meaning chief. The Fon are currently located in a part of the Republic of Benin called the Kingdom of Dahomay. Legend has it that a princess of Yoruba origin created this kingdom before the 17th century.