African Arts Gallery

This Dogon iron was collected in the 1950s by Monsieur Arnaud, accompanying Alain Bilot,
renowned collector of Dogon art, during study trips to Mali.

Dogon blacksmiths form an endogamous caste among the Dogon called irim. Today they produce weapons, tools,and also work with wood. "Masters of fire" associated in Dogon cosmogony with the primordial beings "Nommo" created by the god Ama, they are also supposed to cure burns. Small metal objects, made using the lost wax technique, were widespread in the region of the interior delta of the Niger, copper reaching it thanks to the trans-Saharan trade. Excavations on ...

Minimalism for this zoomorphic figure in black iron. A slender silhouette offering residues of libations mixed with baby bird's down. Grainy rust patina.
The populations of the same cultural region, grouped together under the name "lobi", make up a fifth of the inhabitants of Burkina Faso. Few in number in Ghana, they have also settled in the north of Côte d'Ivoire. It was at the end of the 18th century that the Lobi, coming from North Ghana, established themselves 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, whom they address through the worship of many intermediary spirits, the Thil, these the latter being supposed to protect them, with the help of the diviner, against a host of plagues. ...

"Execution" knives are also parade weapons, such as this ngulu with a wooden handle partially wrapped with copper wire. In northwestern Zaire, south of the Ubangi,live the 6000 Moswea-Ngombe of Bantu language. Their neighbors are the Ngbandi and the Ngbaka and various banda groups. They knew no god but expected favors from their ancestors, among them health and prosperity. Their throwing knives used for hunting were used as currency.
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Belgian African art collection.
Thick old patina for this stylized animal figure of the Bambara, made of black iron. The mammal is a symbol of fertility and vigor. Grainy texture, ochre patina.
Established in central and southern Mali, in a savannah area, the Bambara, "Bamana" or "unbelievers", as the Muslims have called them, belong to the large Mande group, along with the Soninke and the Malinke. Mostly farmers, but also breeders, they make up the largest ethnic group in Mali. The groups of Bambara artisans nyamakala , more specifically the blacksmiths named numu , are in charge of sculpting ritual objects, endowed with the nyama , occult energy. Using fire and magical objects, the role of healer and diviner is also assigned to them.
Their powers are ...

Belgian African art collection.
This Dogon iron was collected in the 1950s by Monsieur Arnaud, accompanying Alain Bilot,
renowned collector of Dogon art, during study trips to Mali.

The Dogon blacksmiths form an endogamous caste among the Dogon called irim. Today they produce weapons, tools,and also work with wood. "Masters of fire" associated in Dogon cosmogony with the primordial beings "Nommo" created by the god Ama, they are also supposed to cure burns. Small metal objects, made using the lost wax technique, were widespread in the region of the interior delta of the Niger, copper reaching it thanks ...

Minimalism for this anthropomorphic figure in black iron. A graceful male figure that seems to be propelled by contrast thanks to the size of its body. Crusty mottled patina. The populations of the same cultural region, grouped under the name "Lobi", make up one fifth of the inhabitants of Burkina Faso. Although they are not very numerous in Ghana, they have also settled in the north of the Ivory Coast. It was at the end of the eighteenth 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 Thil, the latter being supposed to protect them, with the help of the ...

Dit Dogon ijzer werd in de jaren 1950 verzameld door Monsieur Arnaud, die Alain Bilot,
beroemd verzamelaar van Dogon kunst, tijdens studiereizen naar Mali.

Dogon smeden vormen een endogame kaste onder de Dogon, irim genaamd. Tegenwoordig maken ze wapens, gereedschap en bewerken ze ook hout. "Meesters van het vuur", in de Dogon kosmogonie geassocieerd met de oerwezens "Nommo" geschapen door de god Ama, worden ook verondersteld brandwonden te genezen. Kleine metalen voorwerpen, vervaardigd met behulp van de verloren-wastechniek, waren wijdverspreid in het gebied van de binnenlandse delta van de Niger, waar het ...

This Dogon iron was collected in the 1950s by Monsieur Arnaud, accompanying Alain Bilot,
renowned collector of Dogon art, during study trips to Mali.

Dogon blacksmiths form an endogamous caste among the Dogon called irim. Today they produce weapons, tools,and also work with wood. "Masters of fire" associated in Dogon cosmogony with the primordial beings "Nommo" created by the god Ama, they are also supposed to cure burns. Small metal objects, made using the lost wax technique, were widespread in the region of the interior delta of the Niger, copper reaching it thanks to the trans-Saharan trade. Excavations ...

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Ofo sculptures, mediating objects in African art
. This sculpture named Ofo (from the name of the tree in which it was made) has a face haloed by a large crest. Its base forms three spirals. The wooden bust is trimmed with metal rods and ribbons, some of them in coiled patterns. A rare and symbolic piece held by an elder named N'dichie , and associated with the agnatic lineage, on which an oath was sometimes taken, this black iron object was displayed in Igbo homes and altars. The Igbo live in the forest in southeastern Nigeria. This tradition later spread to neighboring ethnic groups. Based on a botanical sculpture from a "male" tree, and composed of brittle twigs, images of boys dependent on their father and then becoming detached from him, this object is part of a type ...

Tribal art collection for sale by Jan Putteneers.
The tribal coins made of black iron in African art.
This primitive African coin is made up of two ringed iron rods forming a string-like arc. The arc extends from serpentiform elements with a soaring end. This item had currency value during the pre-colonial period in Nigeria. ( " The Perfect Form R. Ballarini, p.154)
Patina visibly old, light brown speckled with ochre.
From all times, people have used barter to exchange goods. Then came the first system of real currency, the small shells-porcelain called cauris. The African continent is particularly rich in so-called 'primitive' currencies. These valuable coins are made of black iron, a particularly sought-after metal, others are made of copper, more valuable than ...

This primitive African currency takes the form of a flared blade under which volute arms emerge. The surface is hammered with notches forming a regular relief. The lower base, at the tip, could be recorded in the ground. In Africa, before the colonial period, payments were never made in coins. Transactions were made using cauris, pearls, cattle, kola nuts, but also metals, including iron in particular. These primitive currencies were used in trade, social exchanges, for dowries in particular, but could also constitute objects of parade or throw weapons. In Sierra Leone, goods were assessed against iron bars called barriferri. The king generally controlled the production or delivery of the kingdom's currency. The variety of these metallic forms is wide, and these sometimes take on the ...

The populations of the same cultural region, grouped under the name one-fifth of Burkina Faso's population. Few in Ghana, they 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 through the worship of many intermediate spirits, the Thil, the latter being supposed to protect them, with the help of the sooth, from a host of plagues. Bush geniuses, red-haired beings called Kontuor , are also expected to help them. To communicate with men, the different Thils ask for sculptures of bateba in order to be incarnated. Various sacred altars are erected around the ...

African art among the Lobi.
The populations of the same cultural region, grouped under the name " lobi ", make up one-fifth of the inhabitants of Burkina Faso. Few in Ghana, they 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 through the worship of many intermediate spirits, the Thil, the latter being supposed to protect them, with the help of the sooth, from a host of plagues. Bush geniuses, red-haired beings called Kontuor , are also expected to help them. To communicate with men, the different Thils ask for sculptures of bateba in order to ...

Weapons, jewelry, coins, metal objects are inseparable from traditional African art. Metallurgy is intimately associated with the founding myths of many African cultures, such as blacksmiths turned kings (Zaire), the anvil hammer being the symbol of power among the Luba. Cult accessories, the metal alloy gongs, some highly decorated, take on a wide variety of shapes. This double gong, in its simplicity, was a sacred instrument and the emblem of one of the many male societies of the peoples of Grassland, the Kwifoyn, whose headquarters adjoined the royal palace. The tinkling of wooden rods on hollow metal announced the beginning of ceremonies: communication with the supernatural world, ancestors, deities, could be established. Also prestigious objects, they accompanied the respect due to ...

Ex-French tribal art collection.
Etoning Mumuye figures of African art
Among the diversity of Mumuye statues, varying according to the villages, certain features are recurrent: an extremely purified, stretched morphology, and a relative absence of ornamentation.  The arms of this statue frequently detach from the bust, bent in this case, and an arch stylization of the lower limbs is noteworthy, all reflecting a dynamism.  The proportionally small head has a face with sketchy features, a neutral appearance, and round eyes.   The barely distinct reminder of ethnic scarifications results in numerous parallel incisions of the bust and headdress. The conical headdress, flanked by wide "ears" in side panels framing a neck stretched like a column, would rather evoke a warrior helmet.  ...

Two spirals on either side of a tip form the handle of this weapon. The blade that continues at the tip bears fine patterns in parallel and broken lines. Oxidized granular patina. This piece is thought to be of Chamba origin in Nigeria.
Installed since the 17th century on the south bank of the Benue river in Nigeria, the Chamba have resisted attempts to conquer 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 the head. The less frequent statuary is divided into protective figures (tauwa, sing. tau) which are kept in a box to the left of the entrance of the concession, and in statues of ancestors, kona. In Africa, before the colonial period, payments were never made in coins. ...

"Ex-collection English African art

It is in a room of the house reserved for this purpose that the great families of Benin (former Dahomey) kept portable altars made from pieces of metal. Asen, these sticks were created for each ancestor, serving as go-betweens between the world of the living and the dead, and prayers and offerings were made during a ceremony called "ahanbiba" during the dry season. An Asen was dedicated to an ancestor and dedicated sacrifices throughout the year, and among the Yoruba in neighboring Nigeria, these sticks were emblems depicting birds. for divination ceremonies related to the god of herbalists and occult sciences, Osanyin, or that of divination, Orunmila. a central shaft, overcoming a cup, eight rods support a circular platform having a skit. ...

This piece of currency is formed by two big iron bars twisted together like a rope-like shape. This model circulated in Nigeria in the pré-colonial years.

French African art collection.
Arms, jewellery, coins, metal objects are inseparable from traditional African art. Metallurgy is intimately associated with the founding myths of many African cultures, such as blacksmiths turned kings (Zaire), the anvil hammer being the symbol of power among the Luba. Cult accessories, the metal alloy gongs, some highly decorated, take on a wide variety of shapes. This double gong, in its simplicity, was a sacred instrument and the emblem of one of the many male societies of the peoples of Grassland, the Kwifoyn, whose headquarters adjoined the royal palace. The tinkling of wooden rods on hollow metal announced the beginning of ceremonies: communication with the supernatural world, ancestors, deities, could be established. Also prestigious objects, ...