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African art - Statues:

Often the work of blacksmiths who work on soft woods, African statuary includes statues of ancestors, dolls, statuettes of twins. All these statues offer geometric forms with angular contours, elongated features, sometimes with a severe expression. The arms can be glued to the body, or on the contrary, they can move away from it. We find seated or standing figures, arms and knees bent or as with the Dogon Tellem, arms raised towards the sky imploring for the coming of rain. The statues can also be used as fetishes for all sorts of animist practices, mainly in the Congo. Some are made of bronze as in the Benin kingdom. For the traditional African, their function is to make invisible realities visible.


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Kongo Statue
African art > Maternity, statues, bronze, wood > Kongo Statue

French collection of African art. African sculpture depicting subjects very skilled in acrobatics. The Vili produced a variety of sculptures for individual use nkisi, to which multiple virtues were attributed, and anecdotal statues such as this example symbolizing an ancestor of the clan.
Glossy patina, matte blackened areas, restorations. The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo formed the Kôngo group, led by king ntotela . Their kingdom reached its peak in the 16th century with the trade in ivory, copper and the slave trade. With the same beliefs and traditions, they produced statuary with codified gestures in relation to their vision of the world. Present along the Gabonese coast, the Vili broke away from the Kongo kingdom ...


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380.00

Ngbaka statue
African art > African statues : tribal fetish, maternity > Ngbaka statue

The Ubangian crucible has produced many statuettes that share certain similarities, such as a heart-shaped face, as in the Ogooué River region of Gabon. Some authors (Celenko 1983) have attributed this type of work to the Zande living north of the Ngbaka.The Ngbaka form a homogeneous people of the north-west of the R.D.C., south of Ubangui. The Ngandi live to the east and the Ngombe to the south. A nasal ridge running up to the mouth here divides the large concave orbits characterizing the ovoid face of this hermaphrodite character. The rounded volumes of the body follow one another with rhythm from the head, with a rounded back bearing forward two small short arms gathered around the chest, a narrow bust widening towards developed lower limbs carried by massive feet.
Satin ...


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450.00

Bangwa Statue
African art > African statues : tribal fetish, maternity > Bangwa Statue

In African art , commemorative sculptures of titled kings, queens, princesses and servants, as well as parents of twins, the Bangwa form the reputation of this small kingdom within the large Bamileke people in western Cameroon.
We observe the influence of the Bamileke on the Bangwa statuary without the use of pearls. The body posture is classical, lower and upper limbs flexed.
Commanded by the leaders they embody, the Bangwa statues refer to fertility but also to power and combativeness. They are positioned in pairs on either side of the induction chairs during notable meetings.
Thick brown cracked patina. Minor shards.


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490.00

Yombe
African art > African statues : tribal fetish, maternity > Yombe

African statue equipped with a receptacle for magical substances. The look refers to mediumistic abilities. This type of African sculpture, whose functions were quite diverse, sometimes illustrates a proverb. Light brown patina.
The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo constituted the Kôngo group, led by king ntotela. Their kingdom reached its peak in the 16th century with the trade in ivory, copper and the slave trade. With the same beliefs and traditions, they produced statuary with codified gestures in relation to their vision of the world. The nganga sorcerers, both healers, were in charge of religious activities and mediation towards the God called Nzambi through consecrated figures. To this end, protective figures minkisi (pl.) ...


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290.00

Statuettes Dan
African art > African statues : tribal fetish, maternity > Statuettes Dan

French collection of African art .



These anthopomorphic figures, set on large digital feet, offer a stocky anatomy. Their faces recall the masks dan by the protrusion of the wide lips. Granular residues remain, following the rites that benefited the subjects. Matt black patina.
Gifts of women, food, festive ceremonies and honorable status once rewarded the dan sculptors to whom this talent was bestowed during a dream. The latter was the means of communication of Du, the invisible spiritual power, with men. The statuary, rare, held a prestigious role with its holder. They are mainly effigies of wives, lü mä human beings made of wood. They are not spirit incarnations or effigies of ancestors, but prestige figures representing living people, often ...


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350.00

Statue Teke
African art > African statues : tribal fetish, maternity > Statue Teke

This biteke fetish, devoid of arms, is coated with a clay agglomerate imprisoning three similar figures of reduced size. While sorcerers teke used a variety of sculptures dedicated to healing or protection, women also had them for the purpose of promoting their fertility or protecting their offspring. A native restoration was carried out on one of the feet, still covered with rubber.
Patine mate, black and ochre.
Andeblis between the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon, the Teké were organized into chiefdoms whose leader was often chosen from among the blacksmiths. The head of the family, mfumu , had the right to life or death over his family whose importance determined his prestige. The clan leader, gantsié , retained the great protective fetish ...


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280.00

Nkanu Statuette
African art > African statues : tribal fetish, maternity > Nkanu Statuette

This type of drummer sculpture is produced by the Nkanu of the DRC. Large, trance-like eyes distinguish the face of the typical Nkanu subject. Satin patina.



The Nkanu live from agriculture along the Lufimi River. Their villages are grouped in groups of four or five under the authority of a local chief directing the heads of families. Their artistic production is mainly linked to initiatory rites. Drum players appear on the carved wooden panels exhibited during “kimeki” initiation rites. The sound of the drum, among the Kongo and Yaka, covered the groans of nkanda circumcision, chased away malevolent spirits, and encouraged future initiates.
Lit. : “100 People of Zaire and their Sculpture” M.L. Félix. Litt. 100 People of Zaire and their Sculpture" ...


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180.00

Metoko Statue
African art > African statues : tribal fetish, maternity > Metoko Statue

This female statue named Kasimbi, like the organizer of the rites of circumcision, was kept in the hut of future circumcised. Abrasive wear patina, desiccation cracks.
Cult statue belonging to the Metoko and Lengola, peoples of the primary forest dedicated to the worship of a unique God, monotheism rare in Africa. Their three-rank society, Bukota, structured daily life and welcomed both men and women. It represents the equivalent of the Bwami association of Lega. The sculptures played a role during the initiation ceremonies, and were then placed on the grave of the initiates of high rank. Kakungu in particular was surrounded by other carved objects related to initiatory rites and circumcision. Each of these figures had a name, like the lega traditions. Ref: "100 ...


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240.00

Reliquary figure Fang Byéri
African art > African statues : tribal fetish, maternity > Reliquary figure Fang Byéri

French African art collection.
Female ancestor effigy with unusual round head. The feet are missing, the posterior stalk eroded. Metal washers with a brass cabochon in the center form the character's hallucinated gaze. The sculptor opted for a geometric mouth, revealing incised teeth. The legs, apart, have massive thighs and disproportionate shins. The peoples known as Fang, or "Pahouins", described as conquering warriors, invaded in successive leaps, from villages to villages, the entire vast region between the Sanaga in Cameroon and the Ogooué in Gabon, between the 18th and the beginning of the 20th century. century. They have never had political unity. Clan cohesion was maintained through religious and judicial associations such as so and ngil . At the bottom of their boxes, in a ...


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250.00

Lega Statuette
African art > African statues : tribal fetish, maternity > Lega Statuette

Ex-belgian African art collection.
Identifiable by its context of use, this male statue belonged to an insider of the Bwami and was part of a set used during the initiations. She could only be seen at that time. 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 objects, real metaphors referring to largely to proverbs and sayings. Those who were not allowed to see the object, in order to be protected, had to submit to expensive ceremonies, and sometimes even join the lower rank of the Bwami, the kongabulumbu , at great expense to the families. Each of these initiations took place over seven days and included at least seven ...


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150.00

Kongo figure
African art > African statues : tribal fetish, maternity > Kongo figure

Small statuette carved in the Kongo style, associated with the ancestor of the clan, a mediating figure. The child would embody the matrilineal transmission of power. These effigies frequently formed the carved pattern atop chiefs' canes. Glossy dark brown patina.
Desication crack. A clan of the Kongo group, the Yombe are established on the west coast of Africa, in the south-west of the Republic of Congo and in Angola. Their statuary includes remarkable maternities. The use of this type of sculpture remains unknown. Among the Kongo , the nganga was responsible for the rituals by activating a spiritual force with an nkondi (pl. nkissi). The term nkisi was then used to designate the notions of "sacred" or "divine". The most influential category of "minkisi kongo" consisted of ...


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160.00

League figurines
African art > African statues : tribal fetish, maternity > League figurines

Ex-Belgian tribal art collection.
African art of Lega, Balega, or Warega, is distinguished by its introductory statuettes, also made of ivory, some of which were kept in a basket for the highest bwami officers of different communities. This type of statuette of tribal art Iginga ( Maginga 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 initiation stages, the highest being the Kindi. The statuettes were used as the aspirants were inited. Each has a particular form and meaning from which morals or dogma always flow. Thus the figures with arms raised above the head would evoke the one who settled a dispute through his arbitration. The thick legs with ...


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150.00

Baoule Statuette
African art > African statues : tribal fetish, maternity > Baoule Statuette

Collection of French African tribal art.
African figure incorrectly named "settler" , which represents, for the Baoulé, an idealized, individual image of the celestial spouse. Its features were carved on the diviner's instructions for his client in an attempt to remedy various problems.

Colored matte patina, abrasions from use, cracks.
Two types of statues are produced by the Baoulé in the ritual context: TheWaka-Sona statues, "being of wood" in Baoulé, evoke an assié oussou, being of the earth. They are part of a type of statue intended to be used as a medium tool by the komien diviners, the latter being selected by the asye usu spirits in order to communicate revelations from the beyond. The second type of statues, made according to the soothsayer's ...


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290.00

Bembe Statuette
African art > African statues : tribal fetish, maternity > Bembe Statuette

Embodying the spirit of an ancestor, this sculpted African miniature bears keloidal tattoos testifying to the successive stages of initiation to which the individual was subjected. Sometimes set with ivory or earthenware, the eyes are inlaid with bone. Glossy golden mahogany patina, missing parts.

Established on the sets of the ex. People's Republic of Congo (DRC) ex.Brazzaville, and not to be confused with the Bembé group from the north of Lake Tanganinyika, the small Babembé group, Béembé, was influenced by Téké rites and culture, but especially by that of the Kongo. Installed in the current Republic of Congo, the Béembé originally formed the kingdom of Kongo, with the Vili, Yombé, Bembé and Woyo. The village leader, nga-bula, was responsible for interceding with the ancestors. ...


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160.00

Luba statuette
African art > African statues : tribal fetish, maternity > Luba statuette

This type of female African figure among the Luba was often linked to fertility rituals. The posture would further indicate that the secrets of royalty, bizila, belong to women at the Luba court through their role as political and spiritual intermediary. Female figurative subjects would represent for the Lubas the wife of the diviner, hence its importance in the process of bilumbu divination. According to some Lubas however, although female, she would represent the first soothsayer Luba, and would also be an allegory of royalty linked to the powerful Mbudye society associated with royal power. ("Luba" Roberts.) Old black patina, erosions and cracks.
The Luba ( Baluba in Chiluba) are a people of Central Africa. Their cradle is Katanga, more precisely the region of the Lubu ...


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150.00

Ngbandi statuette.
African art > African statues : tribal fetish, maternity > Ngbandi statuette.

Singular sculpture of a head supported by short and thick legs. Irregular patina grainy, locally chipped. Drying cracks. The many carved objects are, among the Ngandi, related to hunting and magic. Some represent the spirit Ngbirondo and act as the guardian of the village.
Funerary statues were also used, and couple sculptures yangba and her sister, equivalent to the ancestors Seto and Nabo of the Ngbaka.

The Ngbaka are a homogeneous people from the northwest of the DRC, south of Ubangui. The Ngbandi live in the east (on the left bank of the Oubangui) and the Ngombe in the south. The initiation of young people, "gaza" or "ganza" (which gives strength) in the Ngbaka and Ngbandi, has many similarities, through endurance tests, songs and dances. The rites ...


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380.00

Dogon Statue
African art > African statues : tribal fetish, maternity > Dogon Statue

French collection of African art
Often carved to order, Dogon tribal statues are intended for various uses, whether celebrating family events or participating in community rituals, such as the founding of a village. These figures, which can represent the very essence of the deceased, are placed on ancestral altars and play an essential role during agricultural rituals, such as sowing and harvest periods. Although their exact functions sometimes remain obscure, they are integrated into the four main Dogon religious cults: the Lébé, associated with fertility and led by the Hogon; the Wagem, centered on the cult of ancestors and under the authority of the patriarch; the Binou, who summons the spirit world and is led by the Binou priest; and finally the society of masks, involved in ...


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420.00

Ovimbundu Statue
African art > African statues : tribal fetish, maternity > Ovimbundu Statue

African sculpture of an OviMbundu woman whose naked body is devoid of scarified marks. This type of African statue could have been associated with female initiation rituals, fertility, or divinatory rites. The headdress evokes that, fashioned with oil and red ocher, of the young nyaneka girls following the efuko ritual. Gray patina, drying cracks.
It is on the Benguéla plateau in Angola that the Ovimbudu, Ovimbundu, made up of farmers and breeders, have been established for several centuries. Forming the largest ethnic group in Angola, they belong to the Bantu speakers, such as the Nyaneka, the Handa, Nkhumbi, and other groups from the region of Huila, or Wila. Their statuary made from light wood is relatively limited.
Ref. : “The tribal art of black Africa” ed. Assouline; ...


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380.00

Idoma crest
African art > African statues : tribal fetish, maternity > Idoma crest

The African masks worn as crests are varied among the Idoma, such as this janiform head of opposite hues. Linear scarifications in bars adorn the face, the mouth opens wide on the teeth. The head formed the upper part of a crest mask of the same type as ungulali masks. This mask took part in the funeral ceremonies of the dry season as well as in the festivities in the region of the Cross River.
Two-tone matte patina, grainy deposits, erosions.
The Idoma live at the confluence of the Bénué and the Niger. Numbering 500,000, they are farmers and traders. There are Igbo, Cross River and Igala influences in their art and customs and it is often difficult to distinguish them from their neighbours. Okua masks are worn among the southern Idoma during the funerals of important people ...


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290.00

Chamba Statue
African art > African statues : tribal fetish, maternity > Chamba Statue

Renowned for their stylized masks reminiscent of the buffalo, the Chamba communicated with the world of spirits through statues such as this variant punctuated by protruding edges. Their functions, however, remain little known. Reddish patina. Minor cracks and erosions.
Installed since the 17th century on the south bank of the Benue in Nigeria, coming from the mountainous regions of the Cameroonian borders, the Chamba resisted the attempted conquests of the Fulani, nomads who settled in large numbers in northern Nigeria. They are known for their famous buffalo mask with its two flat jaws extending from the head. The statuary, less common, is divided into protective figures ( tauwa, sing. tau) which are kept in a box located to the left of the entrance to the concession, and in ...


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450.00

Beembe Statue
African art > African statues : tribal fetish, maternity > Beembe Statue

The eyes of this subject symbolizing power are inlaid with horn, characteristic of Babembé statuary. Bright two-tone patina, gaps and drying cracks.
Installed in the current Republic of Congo, the Béembé, Babembé, originally formed the Kongo kingdom, with the Vili, Yombé, Bwendé and Woyo. They were under the supervision of the ntotela king elected by the governors. The trade in ivory, copper and slaves constituted their main resources. The village manager, nga-bula, was responsible for interceding with the ancestors. Hunting being a major activity, the ancestors were invoked through statuettes. These idealized representations of ancestors, kitebi or bimbi consecrated by the sorcerer, displayed the attributes of hunters or even healers.


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380.00





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