African Arts Gallery

French Collection of African Art Sitting on a stool, this African statue belongs to a Gwan fertility cult associated with the Djo, or Do, widespread in central Mali. Long called "Queen", this type of statue participated every seven years in ceremonies during which they were presented to childless women. The latter washed the sculptures and then anointed them with shea butter.
Ritual grainy patina, desiccation cracks. The Bambara of central and southern Mali belong to the large Mande group, like the Soninke and the Malinke. They believe in the existence of a creator god generically called Ngala who maintains the order of the universe. His existence coexists with another androgynous god called Faro, who gave all the qualities to men and who makes the fruits of the earth ...

Belgian collection.
African art lega and initiation materials.
African tribal sculpture Sakimatwematwe (Multi-heads) belonging to an initiate of Bwami, among the many others used throughout the initiations. The teacher guided the aspirant to a place where masks and statuettes were exhibited, and it was through careful observation that the future initiate had to guess the more or less complex meaning of these metaphors, the latter referring largely to proverbs. and sayings. Matte light patina, erosions.br /> Relating to a Lega proverb, with two or more heads, this statuette would always illustrate the need for a global vision of events, and therefore the prudence, wisdom and impartiality that should result from it. (Biebuyck 1973)

Ex-French collection of African art With a stocky constitution around a concave bust hollowed out with an orifice, this African statue embodying an ancestor also offers zoomorphic attributes. Locally grainy matte patina, discreet red ochre highlights.
Despite their small number, the thirty thousand Mambila (or Mambilla, Mambere, Nor, Torbi, Lagubi, Tagbo, Tongbo, Bang, Ble, Juli, Bea)(the "men" in Fulani), settled in the northwest of Cameroon, created a large number of masks and statues easily identifiable by their heart-shaped faces. Although the Mambila believe in a creator god named Chang or Nama, they only worship their ancestors. Their leaders were buried in granaries like wheat because they were supposed to symbolize prosperity. Masks and Statues were not to be seen by ...

Fetish-sculpture nkishi (pl. mankishi ) protective, featuring a central foot bringing together miniature figures of kifwebe masks. The bishimba, magic charge, was housed in the object. Velvety black patina. Slight lacks, desication cracks.

These fetishes of protection intended for homes are among the most popular in Africa. The Nkisi plays the role of mediator between gods and men. The large specimens are the collective property of an entire village, while the smaller figures belong to an individual or a family. In the 16th century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle on the left bank of the Lualaba. Their society is organized in a patriarchal way. Their history is inseparable from that of the Luba to which they are related through common ancestors.
The ...

Stocky, carried by ample feet, this sculpted figure offers a large head similar to a helmet mask. Among neighboring Kongo clans, the naked, squatting posture, sondama, evokes emergency action, attacking enemies in a supernatural way. The Hungaan, mixed with the Mbala, also carve similar figures. The headdress bears great similarities to the mukote headdress which among the Western Pende with which the Mbalashared mukanda circumcision rituals , became a symbol of the struggle against colonization in the early 20th century
Iconic pindi carvings were attributed to chief Mbala during his enthronement. Following a retreat of a few days, the royal insignia and charms were attributed to him, intended to fight the powers opposing hunting, social peace, and harvesting.
Grainy matte ...

Referring to a moral value or dogma, or associated with a Lega proverb, this African statuette established on short legs spread apart, arms raised, offers an old abraded patina. Erosions.
The tribal art of the Lega, Balega, or Warega, is distinguished by its initiation statuettes, also made of ivory, some of which were kept in a basket intended for the highest ranking members of the Bwami of different communities. This type of tribal art statuette Iginga (Maginga in the plural), was the property of the high ranking members of the Bwami, a secret society admitting men and their wives, and governing social life. This organization was subdivided into initiatory stages, the highest being the Kindi. The statuettes were used as the aspirants were initiated. The Lega's particularity, ...

Ex. French collection of African art This damaged African sculpture, depicting a rider on his mount, embodies a deified ancestor, one of the many gods, orisa, comparable to Christian saints and who make up the Yoruba pantheon. The statue also evokes the divine messenger Esù or Elégba . The equine, rare in the region, was an attribute of prestige that was reserved for the nobility and sovereigns. This type of sculpture was intended for a Yoruba altar. Black-brown patina. The Yoruba, more than 20 million, occupy the southwest of Nigeria and the central and southeast region of Benin under the name of Nago. They are patrilineal, practice excision and circumcision. Centered on its multiple gods or orisa, the Yoruba religion is illustrated by its altars on which sacrifices are ...

This sculpture of African art hemba commemorating a local chief, intermediary between men and gods, stands out thanks to its imposing head and the treatment of the body. Velvety grey-brown patina, erosions and cracks.

Generally made in iroko, these ritual sculptures were venerated by a particular clan and stored in rooms for funerary use in the chief's house.
The Hemba, established in the south-east of Zaire, on the right bank of the Lualaba, were for a long time subjected to the neighboring Luba empire, which had on their culture, their religion and their art a certain influence. Ancestor worship, whose effigies have long been attributed to the Luba, is central to Hemba society. Genealogy is indeed the guarantor of privileges and the distribution of land. All aspects ...

Sculpture of b>African tribal art depicting an ancestor with the facial and body scarifications of the Batabwa clans.
Satin patina of use, cracks and abrasions.
The Tabwa ("scarify" and "write") constitute an ethnic group present in the South-East of the DRC, around Lake Tanganyika. The tribes of this region, such as the Tumbwe, worship the mipasi ancestors through sculptures held by chiefs or sorcerers. A magical charge (dawa) was frequently placed on top of the statues' heads. Soothsayers-healers used this type of object to reveal witchcraft and protect against malevolent spirits. Simple farmers without centralized power, the Tabwa federated around tribal chiefs after coming under the influence of the Luba. Animists, their beliefs are anchored around the ngulu, spirits of ...

Ex-German tribal art collection.
The stylized African art of the forest tribes
Cubic volumes and sharp features make up a certain dynamic for this primitive metoko statue, whose characteristics are similar to Thengola sculptures. A face cut in flat, with hollowed-out orbits in the heart, is divided into two tones taken from the spots painted on the character's body, reminiscent of the bichrome of Gabon's masks. The feet sink into a circular base. Cracks. This male cult effigy is from the Metoko and Lengola, located in the center of the Congolese basin between the Lomami and Lualaba rivers, peoples of the primary forest dedicated to the worship of a single God, rare monotheism in Africa. Their company, Bukota, welcoming both men and women, is the equivalent of the association ...

Ex. French collection of African art . The Chamba statuary has some points in common with that of the Mumuye. The body is inclined, the flattened bust surmounting thick legs, the subject offers a face with minimalist features framed by large ears.
Old black oiled patina. Cracks and abrasions.
Settled since the 17th century on the south bank of the Benue in Nigeria, the Chamba have resisted the attempts of conquest by the Fulani, nomads who settled in large numbers in the north of Nigeria. They are known for their famous buffalo mask with its two flat jaws extending the head. The statuary, less frequent, is divided into protective figures (tauwa, sing. tau) which are kept in a hut located to the left of the entrance to the concession, and into statues of ancestors, kona.

Rare sculpted figure of a woman with a very elaborate braided hairstyle, presenting what appears to be a mask. This type of sculpture could be associated with rituals of succession or enthronement of the leader. Black matte patina. Cracks and missing.
Coming from Angola, the Pindi scattered along the banks of the Kwango River in the Democratic Republic of Congo, among the Suku, Pende, and Mbuun. Their traditional sculpture has many similarities with those of neighboring groups, whose beliefs they also share, such as ancestor worship. Among their statuary, they have figures with raised arms, "kiluba", whose function is to protect the village or the clan, a diversity of prestigious objects, sculpted panels.

Former French collection of African tribal art. This type of sculpture is a ritual charm belonging to lineages. Performed according to the instructions of Nganga ngoombu and the object’s sponsor, activated using rituals and incantatory formulas and additions in the form of talismans, they have a protective function. The headdress is that of the heads of earth, the nose affects a characteristic upturned shape. Cracks and abrasions. Composed of formidable warriors, the Yaka society was governed by lineage leaders with the right of life and death on their subjects. Hunting and the prestige that results from it are the occasion nowadays, for the Yaka, to invoke the ancestors and to resort to rituals with the help of charms related to the institution "khosi". (C.M.Faïk-Nzuji, ...

Sculpted work of Ndop type illustrating African art Kuba. Of divine origin for his subjects, the king is represented seated cross-legged. Both head of the kingdom and the bushoong chiefdom, "nyim", supernatural abilities from witchcraft or ancestors were attributed to him. He therefore ensured the sustainability of his subjects, whether through harvests, rain or the birth of children. These magical attributes were not hereditary, however. The sculpture has been fitted with cavities for a ritual purpose.
Satin mahogany patina. Cracks.
During the last days of the king's life, the memorial statue was placed at his bedside so that it would capture its vital energy because the object would survive him. According to Cornet (1982), these statues were intended for the widows of the ...

Represented seated side by side, these sculpted subjects are associated with the Lemba cult, a religious association seeking family harmony among various objectives. Shiny black patina, grainy residues of light shade. Desication cracks (base).
Established near the Woyo on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean between the former Zaire (Democratic Republic of Congo) and the Republic of Congo, the Kakongo carved works related to proverbs. Their statues were frequently equipped with magical charges such as the nkisi fetishes of the Kongo of the northwest. They additionally produced female figures and maternity wards. The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembe, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo formed the Kôngo group, led by King Ntotela. With the same beliefs and traditions, they ...

Devoted to the Lemba cult, a religious association seeking, among various objectives, family harmony, these subjects represented standing have the glazed gaze of Kongo nkisi fetishes. Matte black patina. Cracks, minor erosions (base).
Established near the Woyo on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean between the former Zaire (Democratic Republic of Congo) and the Republic of Congo, the Kakongo carved works related to proverbs. Their statues were frequently equipped with magical charges such as the nkisi fetishes of the Kongo of the northwest. They additionally produced female figures and maternity wards. The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembe, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo formed the Kôngo group, led by King Ntotela. With the same beliefs and traditions, they produced ...

Referring to a moral value or a dogma, or even associated with a proverb, this African sculpture adopts a determined posture, hands on hips. Semi-satin speckled patina, abrasions.
The tribal art of the Lega, Balega, or even Warega, is distinguished by its initiation statuettes, also made from ivory, some of which were kept in a basket intended for the highest ranking members of the Bwami from different communities. This type of tribal art statuetteIginga (Maginga in the plural), was the property of the high-ranking officers of the Bwami, a secret society admitting men and their wives, and governing social life. This organization was subdivided into initiatory stages, the highest being the Kindi. The statuettes were used as the aspirants were initiated. The particularity of the ...

Ex. Belgian collection of African art .
African statue embodying an ancestor, as evidenced by the keloid body tattoos testifying to the different stages of its initiation. Smooth two-tone patina.
The Béembé, established on the plateaus of the People's Republic of Congo (formerly Brazzaville), are to be distinguished from the Bembé group north of Lake Tanganinyika. Influenced by Téké rites and culture, but especially by that of the Kongo, the Béembé originally formed the kingdom of Kongo, with the Vili, Yombé, Bwendé and Woyo. Under the tutelage of King Ntotela, elected by the governors, they drew their main resources from the trade in ivory, copper and slaves.
The head of the village, called nga-bula, had the mission of interceding with the ancestors. Hunting ...

Represented in a posture associated with fertility and royalty, this African sculpture indicates that the secrets of royalty, bizila belong to women thanks to their role as political intermediaries and spiritual. The hairstyle was made of braids and copper wires. The so-called "ear-shaped" scarifications, "tactile mnemonic code", are recurrent. This type of figure was also used in the context of fertility rituals: young women lacking breast milk came to touch the chest of the statue in the hope of breastfeeding more abundantly.

Filmy patina, desication cracks.
The Luba (Baluba in Chiluba) are a people of Central Africa. Their cradle is Katanga, more precisely the region of the Lubu River, thus the name (Baluba, which means “the Lubas”). The Luba have two main types ...

Ex-collection of Belgian African art.

Used in the rituals associated with the cult buanga bua bukalenge , this male figure representing an ancestor bears abundant facial and body scarification, a common practice in late 19th century Central Africa. These marks were signs of beauty with symbolic value, revealing extraordinary physical and moral qualities. The concentric circles suggest not only great stars, but also hope. " These statues of warriors, whose right-angled arms would be associated with vigor, participated in the investiture and funeral of chiefs. Scaled granular patina. Cracks of desiccation.
Lulua Lulua is a generic term, referring to the large number of heterogeneous peoples that populate the region near the Lulua River, between the Kasai and Sankuru ...

French African tribal art collection.
This sculpture of a woman would be associated with fertility. Hair is swept back, freeing pierced ears. The sober facial features are reminiscent of Bundu masks. The fleshy body has short arms whose hands rest on the hips. Muscular legs stand apart on platform soles. Old abraded polychrome patina. Slight desication cracks.
This type of African statues belonged to the Temne women's society, named Bundu. Neighboring Mendé had similar effigies. The latter were used during curative rites for transgressors of the rules enacted by the Sandé society. Abraded matte patina. The Temné organized themselves into chiefdoms headed by a supreme chief. The ragbenle or mneke society, responsible for fertility, intervened when the chief died. The bundu ...