African Arts Gallery

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.

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 ...

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.

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 ...

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 ...

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 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 ...

This functional adornment intended for archers was worn on the left in order to protect the forearm from collisions. In Rwanda, the Tutsi used a pad covered with grass, and wooden protections named igitembe were therefore rare.
Velvety patina, copper inlays on each side.
Height on base: 25 cm.

Abrasions and cracks.
A nomadic people, the Tutsi were particularly decimated by the Islamic slave trade and by recurrent internal wars. The groups of people called "Bantous interlacustres", 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, like their artistic production and their objects of daily use. The Tutsi raise cattle. They also ...

Regal insignia in African art from Cameroon This Bamoun dignitary's necklace, made of bronze, has twelve motifs featuring buffalo heads, welded onto a ring. These animals are symbolically associated with power because of their fearsome nature and massive stature. When they sit, the members of the Bamoun Sultan's court council wear this distinctive sign of their function,the mbangba, which they believe helps to reinforce their prestige and ward off 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 Bamun, deeply Islamized, inhabit a region that is both full of wooded landforms but also savannahs. This large territory of the name of Grassland located in the southwest of Cameroon is ...

Necklace made up of forty-nine blue beads strung on a raffia cord, these jewels having once served as currency.
Beads of this type, in molten glass, would come from Venice (Murano) in particular, but also from other European countries such as Czechoslovakia. From the 14th century, they were exchanged on the African continent for various goods: gold, ivory, etc. Jewelry could also be part of the dowry.
Symbolizing wealth, pearls also refer to lives depending on a whole. In black Africa, clan chiefs held necklaces symbolizing the clan, each pearl a family. Among the Baluba, pearls were placed in the hand of the deceased so that he could afford his pass into the afterlife.

Master bronze smiths in African art .
. 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 declined in the motifs of the turtle, chameleon, crocodile or panther. Some, composing the royal regalia, were placed in shrines.

This zoomorphic pendant, a protective jewel, figures a lion devouring its prey. Khaki brown patina with golden reflections. 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 "Gan Massa" is elected by the notables from different villages. Hypotheses diverge as to their origins. ...

Necklace made of different beads solidly strung on a thick raffia link, some of them having once served as currency. Millefiori beads, made of glass paste, come from Venice (Murano) in particular, but also from other European countries such as Czechoslovakia. From the 14th century, they were exchanged in the African continent for various goods: gold, ivory, etc... Jewelry could also be part of the dowry. Pearls were also manufactured in Ghana.

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.

African art collection put up for sale by Jan Putteneers.
This dogon sculpture, a traditional figurative jewel, adorned with a zoomorphic subject, accompanied the ceremonial dress of religious leaders, hogon, responsible for the cult of the lebe, mythical snake, and priests of the Binou. Small metal objects, made using the lost wax technique, were widespread in the interior delta region of Niger, with copper being made possible through trans-Saharan trade. Excavations on the Bandiagara plateau have uncovered remains of steel sites prior to the 15th century, when the Dogons arrived. In yellow copper alloy, this element of dogon tribal adornment has acquired a beautiful golden patina. Dogon blacksmiths form an endogamous caste among the Dogon called rim . They now produce weapons, ...

This necklace of dried seeds, tubular beads, and a talisman from which two carefully carved heads appear, 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 ruled by lineage leaders with the right to life and death over their subjects. Hunting and the prestige that comes with it are an opportunity today for the Yaka to summon ancestors and resort to rituals with the help of charms. The initiation society of young people is the n-khanda , which is found in 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 ...

Ex-Belgian African art collection.
Ankle ring acting as an amulet, the decorative patterns of which, referring to Lobi beliefs, were supposed to protect the wearer. Many rings were produced in southwestern Burkina Faso, having more currency value.
Height on base: 17 cm.
Ring only: 300 gr.
The populations of the same cultural region, grouped together under the name "lobi", form a fifth of the inhabitants of Burkina Faso. Few in Ghana, they have also settled in northern Côte d'Ivoire. 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 address themselves through the ...

Necklace made of conical beads strung on a double link. We find the Millefiori pattern on these heavy beads. The glass paste beads were once used as currency.
The beads of this type, in glass paste, would come from Venice (Murano) in particular, but also from other European countries such as Czechoslovakia. From the fourteenth century, they were exchanged in the African continent against various goods: gold, ivory, etc. ... The jewels could also be part of the dowry. Length: 80 cm.

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 ...

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.