African Arts Gallery

Ample volume and sobriety for this African Adouma mask linked to the cult of ancestors. Defined by curved lines and a subtle duotone, it offers simple lines enhanced with scarified motifs. Dry and velvety matte patina. Slight erosions and desication cracks.

The Adouma, or Baduma, are an ethnic group from eastern Gabon, in central Africa. The Adouma, "men of the river" or "master boatmen", have long lived on the banks of the Ogooué, upstream and downstream of Lastourville between the reaches of Doumé and Bounji. Their masks are associated with male initiation rites, the Mbudi (named Mvudi among the Nzébi and Mvuli among the Mbaama). They have a role of police and justice during conflicts and also appear during deaths, funerals, births of twins, or popular festivals. Lit. : ...

An oval-shaped African mask, it has a slightly prominent forehead whose central ridge, enhanced with black, extends to the nose. The eyebrow arches house two thin slits for vision. A fine gash is the mouth. Dividing the forehead vertically and marking the eyelids, deep incisions recall the scarifications of the ethnic group. The sculpture was encased with a kaolin named pemba , from a clay soil found in Gabon on the banks of rivers, in savannahs or in forest quarries. In the past, human ashes were mixed. The dancer is accustomed to attributes that are supposed to give him the qualities of certain animals, such as the panther, the genette or the monkey. It has monkey hair sceptres. Grainy dry skate, abraded. The Aduma are an ethnic group established in central Gabon, in a mountainous ...

An unusual African mask, carved in soft wood, linked to the cult of ancestors. A geometric structure, straight arches and nasal ridge, and narrow slits indicating the eyes and mouth. The lower contours are cracked. The Adouma, or Baduma , form an ethnic group from eastern Gabon, Central Africa. The Adouma, Men of the River or master canoes, have long lived on the banks of the Ogooué, upstream and downstream of Lastourville between the doumé and Bounji bays. Their masks are associated with the rites of male initiation, the Mbudi (named Mvudi among the Nzebi and Mvuli among the Mbaama). They have a police and justice role in conflicts and also appear at death, funerals, twin births, or popular holidays.
Litt.: Masks from Gabon Ed. Wakes.

Ex-Belgian African art collection.
An unusual African mask, linked to the cult of ancestors. An interesting geometric face, many indigenous restorations that have fortified the state of the room. The punctures visible on the chin assume the presence of old raffia fibers.
The Adouma are an ethnic group from Gabon, Central Africa. The Adouma, \