African Arts Gallery

Necklace made of ancient pearls that were once used as currency. The beads of this type (Millefiori), made of glass paste, would come from Venice (Murano) in particular, but also from other European countries such as Czechoslovakia. As early as the 14th century, they were exchanged in the African continent for various goods: gold, ivory, etc... Jewelry, such as necklaces, could also be part of the dowry.

Ankle ring used as an amulet, whose decorative motifs, referring to Lobi beliefs, were supposed to protect the wearer. Numerous rings were produced in the southwest of Burkina Faso, also having value as money. Height on base: 18 cm. The populations of the same cultural region, grouped together under the name "Lobi", form one fifth of the inhabitants of Burkina Faso. Although they are not very numerous in Ghana, they have also established themselves in the north of the Ivory Coast. It was at the end of the 18th 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 ...

This ring is a symbol of prestige, copper being a sacred metal, and its animal motifs, buffalo head and bird, recall the Senufo genesis. Called the "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: 20 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 ...

The African art of the Bamoun, and the regalia, emblems of prestige associated with sovereignty.
This Bamoun dignitary necklace, or Bamoum, is adorned with 12 buffalo heads arranged on a metal hoop. This iconography symbolizes values of combativeness and tenacity. When they sit, the members of the council of the court of the Sultan Bamoun wear this distinctive ornament of their function,the mbangba, "mgba-mgba", which they believe helps to strengthen their prestige and keep away any evil power. Among the Bamoun, it is the fon , the head of the kingdom or chiefdom, who will offer this necklace to deserving men.

The Bamoun inhabit a region that is both full of wooded relief but also savannah. This large territory called Grassland located in the southwest of Cameroon ...

Precious element of the dowry, this necklace of adult Himbas women consists of several rows of copper wire This jewelry is passed from mother to daughter. The Himbas are a Bantu people of semi-nomadic pastoralists, of animist religion, living in northern Namibia in the Kaokoland ("far lands") region. The women are renowned for their beauty and their heavy ornaments of necklaces and bracelets. To protect themselves, they coat their bodies and their braided hair with a preparation made of ochre, hematite and animal fat.

This refined garment embroidered with glass beads, alternating geometric patterns of contrasting colors, forms a fine but dense texture fringed with cowries. When worn, the ensemble produced a soft clinking sound.
Height on base: 31 cm.
The Kirdi, or "pagans", so called by the Islamized peoples, are established in the far north of Cameroon, on the border with Nigeria. They include the Matakam, Kapsiki, Margui, Mofou, Massa, Toupouri, Fali , Namchi, Bata, Do ayo...  They live from agriculture, fishing and livestock. They live in small independent hamlets. Famous for their terracotta statuettes reminiscent of sao works, they are also known for small leather and metal objects, bead-sewn sex covers and also iron.

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.

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 ...

African art jewelry and Amazigh silverware, an element of feminine adornment in the Moroccan Anti-Atlas.
This ancient necklace consists of silver balls, amber beads and luban (from acacia sap), ancient glass beads of venise (murano), red and orange coral balls, Amazonite beads, metal balls, plastic and semi-precious colored stones, threaded in three rows.

Precious element of the dowry, this necklace of adult Himbas women consists of a white shell "Ohumba" (Conus Betulinus ) symbol of fertility, and numerous metal beads, which are separated by leather straps, threaded on a cord. This jewelry is passed down from mother to daughter. The Himbas are a Bantu people of semi-nomadic pastoralists, of animist religion, living in the north of Namibia in the region of Kaokoland ("distant lands"). The women are renowned for their beauty and their heavy ornaments of necklaces and bracelets. To protect themselves, they coat their bodies and their braided hair with a preparation made of ochre, hematite and animal fat.

African art jewelry and Amazigh goldsmithery, element of feminine adornment in the Moroccan Anti-Atlas.
This antique necklace consists of a main ball of silver, amber beads and luban (from the sap of acacia), old glass beads, balls of red coral, amazonite beads, metal balls, threaded on nylon that extend wool cords.
Length 78 cm cord included.

The African art jewelry and goldsmith amazighe, element of female adornment in the Moroccan Anti-Atlas.
This ancient Berber necklace is composed around a tagmout bead of a variety of beads strung on a woolen thread: amber (luban) (from the sap of acacia), beads in amazonite, red coral and glass of Venice, metal balls, silver and plastic.

African art jewelry and Amazigh silverware, an element of feminine adornment in the Moroccan Anti-Atlas.
This ancient necklace consists of a variety of strung beads: depending on the case, amber (luban from acacia sap), red coral beads, Amazonite beads, metal beads, turquoise, silver, enamel and plastic. The bracelet is encrusted with turquoise and coral. In North African culture, jewellery also has a sacred and prophylactic role.

African art jewelry and Amazigh goldsmithery, element of feminine adornment in the Moroccan Anti-Atlas.
This antique necklace is composed of a variety of beads strung on a nylon thread: amber (luban) (from the sap of acacia), old glass beads of Venice (murano), red coral beads, amazonite beads, metal balls, plastic and shells.

Ornaments of dignitaries of African art
This fon bracelet, made of silver, 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. This bracelet is composed of chains, some of which are decorated with old French 50-cent coins. The jewel in itself is presented in the form of a cone accompanied by ornaments in volutes.
The Fon are currently located in a part 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 seventeenth century.

This necklace, made up of dried seeds, tubular beads, and two elaborately carved heads, is a lineage charm that protects against enemies. It was carried out according to the instructions of the Nganga ngoombu and the sponsor of the object. Hierarchical and authoritarian, composed of fearsome warriors, Yaka society was governed by lineage leaders with the right to life and death over their subjects. Hunting and the resulting prestige are an opportunity for the Yaka today to invoke ancestors and to resort to rituals with charms. The initiation society of young people is the n-khanda , which is found among the Eastern Kongo (Chokwe, Luba, etc...),) and which uses various charms and masks in order to ensure a vigorous lineage. Ethnic artistic productions have been influenced by neighbouring ...

Heavy adornment embellished with open-ended motifs. Golden patina with grey-green inlays.
The Kapsiki are one of the ethnic groups that make up the Kirdi group established in the extreme north of Cameroon. These 'pagans' (Kirdi) as the Islamic peoples have named them, include the Matakam, Kapsiki, Margui, Mofou, Massa, Toupouri, Fali, Namchi, Bata, Do ayo... They live on agriculture, fishing and livestock.

Used as an amulet credited with apotropaic virtues, this small bronze sculpture is, for the Sao, a talisman supposed to protect them from madness. It is therefore worn at all times. The horseman-talisman is here mounted on a ring worn by the soothsayer during divination rituals. The genius who would possess the madman is represented by the rider, the horse depicting the victim. This rider wearing a cheche rides an equine that was a rare prestige attribute in these sahel regions. Height on a base: 11 cm.
The Sao, ancestors of the Kotoko, were established between the 12th and 14th centuries in a geographical area extending along the borders between Chad, northern Cameroon and Nigeria. They settled on hills, which allowed them to repel the invaders. Subjected to the successive ...

Superb Dogon sun, patina and visible oxidation.

About this subject, there is a remarkable story, the traditional symbolism found there, this one is narrated by Philippe Doussin

That was very long. At the time the sky was close to the earth, so close that evening, mothers took down the stars for children to play with before falling asleep.
At the beginning of this cycle of mankind, men could get without any trouble (for Heaven and Earth are closest "Rights") in contact with the metaphysical (heaven), because they were in nothing different from the primordial man (the Edenic state, generally known among all peoples traditional "ancestor") in connection with permanent Being (and the Supreme Principle). Children born in this state already, and all spiritual ...

This functional adornment for archers was worn to the left to protect the forearm from clashes. In Rwanda, Tutsi used a grass-covered pad, and wooden protections called igitembe were therefore rare. This igitembe of a beautiful clear patina has an internal circumference of 7.5 cm, and is set with three copper inlays on each side.
The Tutsi were particularly decimated by the Islamic slave trade and recurrent infighting. The named population groups Interlacustres Bantus, 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 everyday objects. The Tutsi raise cattle. They also excel in the art of weaving and basketry. ...

A prestigious badge of an initiated member of the Bwami, this necklace, which was worn daily, incorporates bilondo objects publicly indicating the status achieved by its holder. If the uninitiated reads certain signs, the follower will understand more deeply the symbolism of wearing this or that accessory.
The necklace consists of carved wooden beads and bone teeth, horn, talisman in the form of a miniature mask in ivory, cauri and pearl.
Following their exodus from Uganda in the 17th century, the Lega settled on the west bank of the Lualaba River in the DRC. Also known as Warega, these individuals live in self-contained villages surrounded by palisades, usually on the top of hills. The role of the chief, kindi , is held by the oldest man of the clan, who must be the highest ...