This African mask was used during the tribal ritual of the male society Kalunga, Alunga, exercising social control over the clan, and responsible for public dances and pre-hunting ceremonies. A mask embodying the god Alunga, it has four large concave orbits with a conical pupil in relief. Between the orbits a circular opening is the mouth. Evocation of a spirit of the forest, this mask was preserved in sacred caves and it was during the festivals associated with hunting and the cults of ancestors that it was exhibited. Masks of the same type also appeared during the circumcision ceremonies of the Bwami . Patina polychrome mate. The Bembe is a Luba branch line that is believed to have left Congo in the 18th century. Their society and artistic tendency are influenced by their ...
View details Bembe Mask
240.00 €
Ex-French collection of African art . African mask with an animal character used during specific dances. Its zoomorphic character evokes the spirits of the forest. Abraded two-tone patina, desiccation crack. Height on base: 74 cm. A tribe of the Kota group, the Kwélé, Bakwélé, live in the forest on the northern border of the Republic of Congo. They live from hunting, agriculture and metallurgy. Practicing the cult called Bwété borrowed from the Ngwyes, which was accompanied by obligatory initiation rites, they used at the end of the ceremonies the ekuk masks evoking the antelope whose horns join in a loop under the chin. The blood of the antelope was also used by the Kwélé for therapeutic purposes. They produce rare statues linked to the initiation rites of young people.
View details Kwele mask
180.00 €
French collection of African tribal art . This small-format ancient African mask refers to the antelope rooster. The horns curved backwards recall the walu, an animal linked to the Dogon cosmogony. Beautiful dry abraded patina, kaolin prints. Minor desiccation cracks. Alongside Islam, Dogon religious rites are organized around four main cults: the Lébé, relating to fertility, the Wagem, ancestor worship under the authority of the patriarch, the Binou invoking the spirit world, and the Awa mask society concerning funerals. The "dama" is a ceremony dedicated to restoring the order of things following a bereavement. It was originally to protect themselves from the " nyama " (the soul) of the victim that the Dogon carved a mask in the image of an animal. Guaranteer of order, the ...
View details Dogon Mask
340.00 €
African mask of the Tabwas associated with power and vigor. Matte patina of use, red and white ochre highlights. Height on base: 56 cm, depth: 38 cm. The Tabwa ("scarify" and "write") are 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 the chiefs. Simple farmers without centralized power, the Tabwa federated around tribal chiefs after having been influenced by the Luba, whose beliefs they integrated. It was mainly during this period that their artistic movement was expressed mainly through statues but also masks. Animists, their beliefs are anchored around the ngulu, spirits of nature present in plants and rocks.
View details Buffalo Mask
380.00 €
French collection of African art A spirit animal called Ciwara is said to have taught the Bambara to cultivate the land. The latter remember the myth through the stylized representation of a roan antelope, whose name ci wara means "earth beast". Brown, abraded patina of use, desiccation cracks. Worn on top of the skull and held in place by a wickerwork cap, these crests accompanied the dancers during the tòn rituals, an association dedicated to agricultural work. The masks would leap around the field in order to chase away the nyama, evil scents, and to detect any danger, or to flush out the evil genies that could steal the soul of the cultivated plants as well as the vital force of their seeds.
View details Ti wara mask
450.00 €
French collection of African art A long bifid beak extends this African mask Dan. The Dan populations of the north called Yacouba of Ivory Coast and the Maou of Touba (Maouka), after having borrowed them from the neighboring Mandé people, use them in secret male ceremonies including the Koma of the Maou and the Poro society of the Dan. Among the Dan it is also called a singing mask, accompanied by a small orchestra during entertainment festivals. Height on base: 46 cm. For the Dan of Côte d'Ivoire, a Malinké people also called Yacouba, two very distinct worlds oppose each other: that of the village, made up of its inhabitants, its animals, and that of the forest, its vegetation and the animals and spirits that populate it. Different types of Dan masks have ...
View details Dan Mask
290.00 €
African art and its animal masks . African mask with real horns, and coming from the Bidjogo , established in the Bissagos archipelago composed of about thirty islands located off the coast of Guinea-Bissau. The mask is worn before or at the end of initiation ceremonies, by a young initiate " cabaro ", who will bend and rear up, conveying the idea of a young vigorous but still untamed animal, and the need to go through the initiatory process in order to acquire discipline and mastery. Matte patina, minor accidents. These masks, called vaca bruto in Portuguese Creole, were displayed on the prows of warlords' boats. It was in fact Portuguese sailors who introduced the animal to the archipelago in the ...
View details Bidjogo Mask
390.00 €
Embodying a spirit, this African Mossi mask offers stylized zoomorphic elements. The geometric patterns are enhanced with an abraded polychrome patina. The black patina was originally obtained from charcoal and gum tree pods. The mask holder and his family worshiped the object through offerings such as millet beer, while invoking its protection. The Mossi masks, personal or lineage, constitute an incarnation of tutelary spirits offering their support. They perform at burials, funerals of clan chiefs, protect crops. True altars without their costume, they can receive libations such as millet beer to honor the ancestors. Their appearance is now frequent during entertainment shows. Upper Volta, Burkina Faso since independence, is made up of the descendants of the Nakomse invaders, ...
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Ex-French collection of African art African mask Kwele Pipibuze, Pipibudze, ("the man") whose physiognomy marked by gentleness symbolizes the light and clairvoyance required to counter witchcraft. Its zoomorphic attributes refer to the antelope or duinker, the main game of the kwele region. This type of mask was not always intended to be worn, but decorated the walls of the huts. Two-tone velvety patina, abrasions and desiccation crack. Depending on the presence of horns and their arrangement, the masks are called pibibudzé, Ekuku zokou, etc... and are associated with the ancestors or spirits of the forest, " ekuk ". A tribe of the Kota group, the Kwélé, Bakwélé, live in the forest on the northern border of the Republic of Congo. They live from hunting, agriculture and ...
View details Kwele Mask
In the south-eastern region of Katanga, from the 1960s, the Zela, long subject to the Lubas whose customs and rites they borrowed, carved animal masks , like the Lubas and the Kundas. From 1970 in fact, the kifwebe company was subject to a transformation which was accompanied by new masks. In the Zela and Kundas groups, however, this type of mask was manifested during secular theatrical ceremonies involving tales. Bifwebe masks evoke the striped antelope which possesses supernatural abilities as well as the zebra. Grainy matte patina, highlights of faded colors. Formerly subject to the Luba, then to the Lundas, the Zela adopted a large part of their uses and traditions. Established between the Luvua River and Lake Kisalé, they are today organized into four chiefdoms under the ...
View details Luba Mask
150.00 €
Collection of African tribal art by the painter Amadeo Plaza Garcès. Voluminous African mask gelede of the zoomorphic type. In Nigeria, also in Benin, this ram mask worn on top of the head was used for the rejoicing dances of the Gelede society, and on the occasion of the funerals of its followers. These masks are produced in pairs, each with a specific name, and the sculpted subjects are often associated with proverbs and have a didactic role. Patina of use, erosions. Desiccation cracks. The Gelede country in Nigeria pays homage to mothers, especially the oldest among them, whose powers are said to be comparable to those of the Yoruba gods, or orisa , and ancestors, osi and who can be used for the benefit but also for the misfortune of society. In the latter case ...
View details Ram Mask
480.00 €
French collection of African tribal art . It is through different secret societies that the Bambara initiates will acquire their knowledge, including that of the Kore, targeting the elders and during which this mask intervenes. The society of the Kore is divided into eight classes of initiates, the sixth of which is that of the hyenas, or surukuw. Abraded lumpy patina of use. Desiccation cracks. Missing parts. Established in central and southern Mali, in a savannah area, the Bambara, "Bamana" or "unbelievers", as the Muslims have named them, belong to the large Mande group, with the Soninke and the Malinke. The Bambara nyamakala artisan groups, more specifically the blacksmiths called numu, are in charge of sculpting ritual objects, endowed with nyama, occult energy. ...
View details Bambara Mask
350.00 €
French collection of African art. African mask characteristic of the Yoruba style, which was worn on the top of the head. The animal subject, the rooster, is linked to sacrificial rites. A particularity in African art, the Gelede cult has entered contemporary heritage, on the basis of ancestral traditions: UNESCO has listed it in the ICP (Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity) in 2008. Matte polychrome patina. Erosions and cracks. The ceremonies of Gelede, Efe, are mainly practiced in the western Yoruba kingdoms. They are used as part of masquerades dedicated to women in their maternal dimension, and more particularly to the "Supreme Mother", whose identity varies from city to city. ...
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The Tschokwe, in African art, have a male association, the mukanda, which uses around thirty masks linked to the ancestors, for social purposes varied, including this type of animal mask, the ngulu. Colorful cotton fabrics and various small objects were also added. The lewd behavior that accompanied his exhibition contrasted with the other masked dances. Locally grainy brown patina. Abrasions. Height on base: 42 cm. The Tschokwe, of Bantu culture, had established themselves in eastern Angola, but also in the Congo and Zambia. Following different alliances, they mixed with the Lunda who taught them hunting. Sources: “Chokwe”, 5continents, B.Wastiau and “African Art”, Mazenod.
View details Chokwe Mask
Ex. French collection of African art. The Tschokwe, in the African art, have a male association, the mukanda, which makes use of about thirty masks for various social purposes and related to the ancestors of which this type of animal mask extended by a basketry hat, placed at the top of the head, the wool hood concealing the face. Coloured cotton fabrics and various small objects were also added. Brown satin patina. The Tschokwe, of Bantu culture, had settled in eastern Angola, but also in Congo and Zambia. Following various alliances, they mingled with the Lundas who taught them hunting. Sources: "Chokwe", 5continents, B.Wastiau and "The African Art", Mazenod.
View details Chokwe mask
Carved from dense wood, this anthropo-zoomorphic African mask is made up of a rounded volume from which arises a long ringed neck extending from a narrow, emaciated face. A high flattened crest caps the face. The decorative metal areas form one of the specificities of marka sculptures. Abraded matte patina, drying crack. In African art, the Marka, Maraka in Bamana, Warka, or even Sarakolé, are Muslim city dwellers of Soninke origin, established in the south of Niger, scattered since the end of the Ghana empire in Mali, Mauritania and Senegal. They now speak Bamana and have adopted many of the Bambara traditions, such as the Ntomo and the Koré, initiation societies which used masks during their ceremonies. Bambara and Marka African art sculptors are part of the Numuw, who ...
View details Markha Mask
Large mask with rounded volumes, split with long eyelids. Velvety matte patina, desiccation cracks. In the south-eastern region of Katanga, around the 1960s, the Zela, long subject to the Lubas whose customs and rites they borrowed, carved animal masks, like the Lubas and the Kundas. In 1970, the kifwebe company was subjected to a transformation which was accompanied by new masks. In the Zela and Kundas groups, however, this type of mask was manifested during secular theatrical ceremonies involving tales. br /> Established between the Luvua River and Lake Kisalé, they are today organized into four chiefdoms under the supervision of leaders of Luba origin. They venerate a primordial couple frequently represented in statuary, mythical ancestors, and dedicate offerings to the spirits ...
View details Zela Mask
160.00 €
Kwele Pipibuze mask, Pipibudze, ("the man") symbolizing the light and clairvoyance necessary to fight against the forces of witchcraft. This mask is topped with a horn that comes back in front of the face. This type of mask was not always intended to be worn, but adorned the walls of the huts. Kaolin residue, minor cracks. Depending on the presence of horns and their arrangement, the masks are called pibibudzé, Ekuku zokou, etc...and are associated with ancestors or forest spirits, "ekuk". A tribe of the Kota group, the Kwélé, Bakwélé, live in the forest on the northern border of the Republic of Congo. They live from hunting, agriculture and metallurgy. Practicing the cult called Bwété borrowed from the Ngwyes, which was accompanied by obligatory initiation rites, they used ...