African Arts Gallery

Very similar to the Hemba sculptures, the kusu statues representing bearded subjects embody chiefs or ancestors and offer a frontal posture, hands on the abdomen. The face, underlined by a fine beard, tilts slightly forward here, the legs widely spread apart rest on massive feet. Glossy golden brown patina, slight lacks.
The Kusu established on the left bank of the Lualaba have borrowed the artistic traditions of the Luba and the Hemba and have a caste system similar to that of the Luba.
The singiti statues were kept by the fumu mwalo and honored during ceremonies during which sacrifices were offered to them. Alongside the authority of the hereditary chiefs, secret societies, male such as the bukazanzi, and female, the bukibilo, played a major role within the clan.

Statuette depicting a couple placed back to back. The female figure presents Luba characters, the male figure also evokes Hemba sculpted figures. Semi-matte dark patina, desication crack.
The Kusu established on the left bank of the Lualaba borrowed the artistic traditions of the Luba and the Hemba and possessed a caste system similar to that of the Luba. The Hemba, for their part, settled in the south-east of Zaire, on the right bank of the Lualaba. Formerly under Luba rule, these farmers and hunters practice ancestor worship through effigies long attributed to the Luba. The singiti statues were kept by the fumu mwalo and honored during ceremonies during which sacrifices were offered to them. Parallel to the authority of the hereditary chiefs, secret societies, masculine such as ...

This sculpture formed by four faces extending from a handle comes under the powerful fetishes kabeja, also used among the Luba, and, among the Kasongo living in contact with the Luba, Hemba and Songye populations, who name them kakuji. The top of the piece is pierced by a cavity in which a bijimba , a charge composed of magical elements from the natural, human and plant environment, were implanted. Each of the clans had a kabeji sculpture intended for protection and healing. But this type of fetish could also be reserved for individual use.
Lustrous orange-brown patina. The Hemba are a sub-group of the Luba ethnic group living in the south-east of the D. R. Congo, east of the capital. D. Congo, east of the Lualaba River, and are best known for their singiti statuary ...

The "inverted doubles" in the sculptures of African tribal art of the Baule
. Male figure representing a carefully detailed standing figure.

About sixty ethnic groups populate the Ivory Coast, including the Baoulé,in the center, Akans from Ghana, people of the savannah, practicing hunting and agriculture just like the Gouro from whom they borrowed ritual cults and sculpted masks. Two types of statues are produced by the Baoulé , Baulé, in the ritual framework: The Waka-Sona statues, "being of wood" in Baoulé, evoke an assié oussou, being of the earth. They are part of a type of statues intended to be used as a medium tool by the diviners komien , the latter being selected by the spirits asye usu in order to communicate revelations from the beyond. The second type ...

Ex-Belgian African art collection.
This African statue is used by different Luba societies, more generally by members of the Bambuye, Bakasandji, or Batambwe societies. The Mbudye soothsayers also used it. It was a question, individually or collectively, of consulting the spirits of the ancestors through specialists. The face has similarities with the Songye, a large head surmounting a neck extending a bust on which the hands are placed. The stepped hairstyle is typical of the Shankadi, a Luba subgroup. The lower body is concealed by a fabric attached and glued to the legs thanks to a crusty patina of use, slight abrasions of use. According to P. Nooter, these figures, seated or kneeling depending on the case, also represented the diviner's wife, which underlines its importance in ...

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 ...

This sculpture of African dogon art, carved from dense wood, personifies a female ancestor. She sits on a stool, a child on her lap. The necklace of amulets, or korte, which she wears around her neck and which contains verses from the Qur'an, testifies to the influence of Islam in the region. Beautiful matte patina. Grainy, abraded surface. Desication cracks. Acquired after 1950 by the owner in a German gallery.

These statues, sometimes embodying the nyama of the deceased, are placed on the altars of ancestors and participate in various rituals including those of the seed and harvest periods. Parallel to Islam, the dogon religious rites are organized around four main cults: the Lebe, relating to fertility, under the spiritual authority of the Hogon, the Wagem, cult of ...

For the Ashanti and the Fantis of Ghana, the Akuaba (plural Akua'mma) doll statuettes are amulets used by women to promote fertility. Mostly stylized in appearance, this copy offers a sleek geometric appearance. A mark of beauty, the often ringed neck also symbolizes prosperity.
Black satin patina, abrasions.
Carried on the backs of women, these statues are also accompanied by various rites, such as the ingestion of a potion, or the placing of the object on the family altar. After the birth of the child, the sculpture is used as a toy, and sometimes still offered to the healer in order to witness its effectiveness. Locally abraded glossy black patina.

Majestic posture for this seated female figure. Many careful details enhance this figurative sculpture.
Dark brown nuanced patina, minor cracks and abrasions.
About sixty ethnic groups populate Côte d'Ivoire, including the Baoulé, in the center, Akans from Ghana, people of the savannah, practicing hunting and agriculture just like the Gouro from whom they borrowed ritual cults and masks carved. Two types of statues are produced by the Baoulé, Baulé, in the ritual context: The Waka-Sona statues, "being of wood" in baoulé, evoke a seated oussou, being of the earth. They are one of a type of statues intended to be used as medium tools by Komian soothsayers, the latter being selected by asye usu spirits in order to communicate revelations from the afterlife. The second type of ...

African sculpture associated with "Esu, Eshu", or "Ogo Elegba", divine messenger of the Yoruba pantheon, intermediary between humans and the God Olodumare. He is Legba in Fon voodoo.
These carved figures reflect the iconography of tribal art Yoruba.
Black matte patina, colored highlights. Erosions.
The Yoruba, more than 20 million, occupy southwestern Nigeria and the central and southeastern region of Benin under the name of Nago. The kingdoms of Oyo and Ijebu arose following the disappearance of the Ifé civilization and are still the basis of the political structure of the Yoruba . The Oyo created two cults centered on the still active Egungun and Sango societies, which worshiped a pantheon of gods, the Orisa< /i> , through ceremonies using masks, statuettes, ...

A female counterpart to the metoko figures, this statuette has a narrow body surmounted by a large head and shows scarification in parallel lines. Inlaid kaolin pigments, golden satin patina. Desiccation cracks.

Katungu cult statue belonging to the Metoko and Lengola, peoples of the primary forest dedicated to the worship of a single God, a rare monotheism in Africa. Their society ,the Bukota, welcoming both men and women, is the equivalent of the Bwami association of the Lega. The sculptures played a role during initiation and conciliation ceremonies, and were then placed on the graves of high rank initiates. Each of these figures had a name, similar to Lega traditions.

Agni sculpture in African art
Work of a sculptor of the Agni ethnic group, a subgroup of the rich and famous Akan people present in Côte d'Ivoire and southern Ghana, this polychrome African statue, used by the fetishist, has body and facial scarifications. The eyebrow arches meet on the ridge of the nose. Supported by a ringed neck representing her necklaces, the imposing head is topped with braided shells. This statue provided communication with the spirits of ancestors and geniuses established in the supernatural world and belonged to the female Comians members of secret societies, endowed with occult gifts. Restoration on the base. The Portuguese came into contact with the Akan at the end of the 15th century and quickly settled in the coastal region to develop the trade in gold ...

The palatial tribal art of Benin.Before the destruction of the palace of the Kingdom of Benin in 1897, the divine character of the kings, the Oba, was illustrated by multiple works celebrating their power. War scenes were reproduced on narrative plates, in bronze, and affixed to the walls. Sumptuous bronze altars, commemorative figures of deceased chefs, heavy bracelets, hairs and recades were produced in quantity in many workshops of smelters according to the technique of cast iron with lost wax. The killing of the king of animals associated with the legends, the leopard, was the privilege of the chief, the Oba. The feline could then serve as an offering for the worship of the chief's head. Sometimes tamed by various royal guilds, he accompanied the chief on his travels. The Oba, named " ...

Color and chieftaincy in African tribal art from the Grassland regions.
This ancestor statuette was carved in wood and then covered with a rabane cloth inlaid with imported multicolored beads. An ancient barter currency and symbol of wealth, beads are widely used in the royal art of the Grassland chieftainships.
Among the Bamiléké as in other ethnic groups, art objects testified to their owner's place in society. Thus, the materials and forms of the objects varied according to social status. The king Bamiléké , also called fon, guarantor of the fertility of the soil and the protection of his subjects, was not considered mortal. Because of this, his funeral was a joyous celebration, with the fon simply physically retiring but still watching over his people from his ...

Sometimes called "colon", this statuette forms the incarnation of a spiritual husband, sculpted according to the indications of the diviner. In "African art, Western eyes" Susan Vogel reports that a figure of this type (p.255), idealized spouse, is represented dressed in a city outfit because the husband is supposed to have a job in town. The earthly spouse, through the cult rendered to this spiritual double, expects to have his resources, his favors and his protection unfailingly. Two types of statues are produced by the Baoulé in the ritual context: The Waka-Sona statues, "being of wood" in Baoulé, evoke a assié oussou, being of the earth. They are part of a type of statues intended to be used as a medium tool by the komiefoué soothsayers, the latter being selected by the asye usu ...

African animal figure Nkisi (pl. mankishi ) of "koso" type in which a bishimba magic charge is usually introduced. The power of the fetish, according to local beliefs, was further accentuated by the presence of various accessories, such as nails, cords, metal. Among the Kongo, the dog, renowned for its knowledge of the supernatural world, its flair and its vision, had the role of mediator between the living and the dead.
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. 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 a statuary endowed with a codified gesture in relation to their vision of the ...

Belgian African art collection.
Sculpture integrating the wide variety of objects of the Yanda cult whose inventive composition is declined in characters placed back to back forming a hybrid being of supernatural aspect. Brown oily patina, grainy residue.
Formerly referred to as "Niam-Niam" because they were considered cannibals, the tribes grouped together under the name of Zande, Azandé, settled, coming from Chad, on the border of the D.R.C. (Zaire), Sudan and the Central African Republic. According to their beliefs, man is endowed with two souls, one of which is transformed upon his death into an animal-totem of the clan to which he belongs. Their sculptures have been linked to their secret society since the beginning of the 20th century, the Mani, exalting the ...

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 ...

Renowned for their masks whose nose forms a distinctive character, the Lwalwa also sculpted small statuettes devoted to divinatory rites, exhibited on altars. The angular face surmounts here stooped shoulders, whose arms are rounded, spaced from the bust, in an atypical posture, hands placed on the thighs. Beautiful glossy patina locally abraded, slight cracks. The Lwalwa live near the Kasai River, between Angola and Zaire. Historically having a matrilineal society, the Lwalwa after undergoing Luba and Songye influence, adopted a patrilineal system within their rudimentary political and social organization. The male mask nkaki, carved from mulela wood, is one of four types of masks produced by the privileged caste formed by their carvers. These artisans, according to ...

Small ritual sculpture depicting a woman whose face evokes the mask Mfondo or Nkaki. Lwalwa statuary, rare, is linked to the fertility rites of the secret female society. Clear mahogany satin smooth patina. Cracks and abrasions.
This is near the Kasai River that the Lwalwa live, between Angola and Zaire. Historically with a matrilineal society, the Lwalwa, after having been influenced by Luba and Songy, adopted a patrilineal system within their rudimentary political and social organization. The nkaki, wood-carved mulela mask, is one of four types of masks produced by the privileged caste formed by their sculptors: These craftsmen, according to their merits, can become conductors and organize dances, including the balango, (also bangongo) during which acrobatics are performed by ...

Adorned with its protective magic accessories, the "abiku", colored pearls and cowrie shells, this "ere" (statue) doll-statue, incarnation of a twin, was sculpted on the advice of the "babalawo".
Patina nuanced with brown, colored highlights.

In the language of the Yoruba people, ibeji means twin: ibi for born and eji for two. They embody the figure of a deceased twin. Thisibedji is then treated as the missing child would have been. It also happened that a man had ibeji carved for his wife in order to induce pregnancy. Support for the soul of the twin, the ibeji influences the life of the family, becoming a source of benefits for his parents, the latter continuing to send him prayers and to devote worship and libations to him. Among the Yoruba, the occurrence of twinship ...