African Arts Gallery

Statues of ancestors in the African art of Mbede, Mbete, or Ambete.
Ancestor worship among the Mbete is accompanied by sculpted figures frequently playing the role of reliquary. This statuette offers for this purpose a dorsal cavity encrusted with residual pink ocher pigments. The barrel-shaped morphology and the flat, stylized face, topped with a crest, are specific features of the ambete sculpture. This copy also wears braided raffia accessories, mats, choker and small loincloth.

Grainy patina, desiccation cracks.
The Mbete form a tribe of Gabon, on the border of the Middle Congo, close to the Obamba and the Pounou, whose history has been marked by a long-term conflict against the Teke. They do not have a centralized political organization, practice ancestor ...

Statues of ancestors in the African art of Mbede, Mbete, or AmbeteThe cult of ancestors, among the Mbete, is accompanied by carved figures frequently playing the role of reliquary. This statue has a dorsal cavity blocked by a shutter. A resin remains in the trunk. The flat side offers the characteristic details: narrow, semi-closed eyelids depicted by cauris, sheltered under slanted eyebrows, a triangular nose extending from the forehead, a narrow hollowed-out mouth. The hairstyle is arranged in braids gathered in shells. The arms on the chest are folded at a right angle. Semi-flexed muscular legs, carried by large feet, evoke a ritual dance. Grainy kaolin patina, chipped, and use of burgundy brown hues.
The Mbete form a people of Gabon, on the border of Middle Congo, neighbouring ...

African art and reliquary figures of Gabon
This statue was part of the cult of the Ancestors Mbete, a dorsal cavity playing the role of reliquary. It was also placed near the baskets containing the bones. A load of plant fibres was introduced. The flat face has a characteristic appearance, with cauris evoking narrow, half-closed eyelids, a hollowed-out mouth in which sticks that are now absent evoked teeth, giving it a grimacing appearance.
attached to the prominent bust, the arms are folded at a right angle. The flexing of the legs would herald a ritual dance. The statue is decorated with motifs composed of parallel intersecting lines. Eroded surface with a dark brown patina, locally coated with kaolin. One foot has obviously been restored.

The Mbete form a ...

Ancestor worship in the African art of the Mbede, Mbete,or Ambete

. The cult of the ancestors, among the Mbete, is accompanied by these sculpted figures whose dorsal cavity frequently plays the role of a reliquary. This specimen, however, lacks such a cavity. The flat face presents a characteristic physiognomy. The hair is organized in braids gathered in a crest. The arms are bent at right angles to the swollen bust. The bending of the muscular legs announces a ritual dance. Crusty patina, erosions and abrasions.
The Mbete are a tribe from Gabon, on the border of the Middle Congo, neighboring the Obamba, whose history has been marked by a long conflict with the Teke. They do not have a centralized political organization, practice ancestor worship and use statues ...

African art and sculpted figures from Gabon
This statuette, probably pertaining to the cult of the Mbete ancestors, is made up of stylized, geometric figures leaning against a central trunk, with the top forming a small dome. Their flat faces present a characteristic physiognomy.
The arms are folded in right angle. Two-tone patina.
It is on the border of the Middle Congo and Gabon that the Mbété , Ambété , who claim a Kota origin, settled. Neighbors of the Obamba, their history has been marked by a long-standing conflict against the Teke. Brazza discovered them in 1877. Practicing ancestor worship, the Ngoye , like their close neighbors, their statues contained the relics of the deceased, usually through a back cavity. They have no centralized political organization, ...

Ancestor worship in the African art of the Mbede, Mbete, or Ambete Ancestor worship, among the Mbete, is accompanied by these sculpted figures whose dorsal cavity frequently plays the role of a reliquary. This example, however, lacks one. The flat face worn by a ringed neck presents a characteristically distressed physiognomy. The hairstyle is organized in braids gathered in crest. Adjacent to the swollen bust, the arms are folded at right angles. The bending of the muscular legs announces a ritual dance.
The Mbete are a tribe from Gabon, on the border of the Middle Congo, neighboring the Obamba, whose history has been marked by a long conflict with the Teke. They do not have a centralized political organization, practice ancestor worship and use statues instead of ...

Statues of ancestors in the African art of Mbede, Mbete, or AmbeteThe cult of ancestors, among the Mbete, is accompanied by these statues whose dorsal cavity frequently plays the role of reliquary. This statue that was arranged near the relics does not have a cavity for this purpose. The flat face has a characteristic appearance, offering narrow, semi-closed eyelids represented by cauris, a triangular nose in extension of the forehead, a narrow hollowed-out mouth. The hairstyle is arranged in braids gathered in shells and form a horizontal crenellating. Attached to the tubular bust, the arms are folded at a right angle. Concealing the muscular legs whose flexing heralds a ritual dance, a raphia loincloth. Kaolin patina and use of red ochre hues.
The Mbete form a people of Gabon, on ...

The variety of reliquaries in the African art of Mbete, Ambete .
The Mbete are known for their antropomorphic statues participating in the cult of ancestors on which a reliquary has been built. Their cylindrical abdomen contains, on the back, a cavity sealed by a door in which were preserved small bones of the ancestors of lineage. The diamond face under a crenellated hairstyle depicting the braids has pupils indicated by beads. Attached to the bust, the arms are classically folded at right angles on a trunk that sports a red ochre patina usually extracted from a crushed bark on which remains kaolin. The legs are hidden under a thick raffia loincloth. Desication cracks.

The Mbete are a people from neighbouring Gabon of the Obamba, whose history has been marked by a ...

Statues of ancestors forming reliquary in the African art of Mbede, Mbete, or Ambete.
This statue has a hollowed-out chest bust for the relics of the ancestors. At the top of the lid the hairstyle consists of parallel sagittal crests and bells adorn the ears. The arms are folded at right angles. Semi-flexed muscular legs, carried by wide feet, one of which has been restored, evoke a ritual dance. Metal sheets are used on the face and arms and punctuate the contours of the lid. Red ochre highs, low kaolin resodus. Erosions, missing on a ridge. Metal staples at the cracks.
The Mbete form a people from Gabon, neighbouring the Obamba and Pounou, on the border of The Middle Congo, whose history has been marked by a long-running conflict against the Teke. They do not have a ...

African art and gabonese reliquary figures
This statue participated in the cult of the Mbete ancestors, a dorsal cavity acting as a reliquary. It was also placed near the baskets containing the bones. The flat face has a characteristic appearance, with cauris evoking narrow half-closed eyelids, a mouth giving it a grimacing appearance.
Attached to the prominent bust, the arms are folded at a right angle. The flexing of the legs would herald a ritual dance. Crusty matte patina.
The Mbete form a people from Gabon, on the border of the Middle Congo, neighbouring the Obamba, whose history has been marked by a long-running conflict against the Teke. They do not have a centralized political organization, practice the worship of ancestors and use statues instead of classical ...

Ex-collection German tribal art.
Statues of ancestors in the African art of Mbede, Mbete, or AmbeteThe cult of ancestors, among the Mbete, is accompanied by these statues whose dorsal cavity frequently plays the role of reliquary. This statue that was placed above the reliquary does not have a cavity for this purpose. The face has a characteristic appearance, offering narrow, half-closed eyelids, a triangular nose, a mouth revealing teeth. The hairstyle is organized in several crests. Attached to the tubular bust, the raised arms are folded at a right angle. Kaolin patina and use of red ochre hues.
The Mbete form a people of Gabon, on the border of the Middle Congo, neighboring obamba, whose history has been marked by a long-running conflict against the Teke. They do not have ...

The reliquaries in African art

A hollow cylindrical volume, with quadrangular perforations for the eyes and the mouth, forms the bust of a character whose head rises at the top The arms of the character are plated on the volume inferiorly, with several vertical crests, the absence of eyes under the black eyebrows joined, the teeth represented by metal blades, confer a threatening severity. The solemnity was further strengthened by the sound of the curls of metal ears clashing with each movement.The headdress with multiple ridges would come from the Mbété of the western region of Congo.The lower base is lined with a raffia mat that also accompanies a thick canvas of plant fibers.The polychrome is well preserved, particularly crusty in areas coated with kaolin.It is on the ...

The variety of reliquaries in the African art of Mbede, Mbete, or Ambete
The cult of ancestors, among the Mbete, is accompanied by these statues whose dorsal cavity plays the role of reliquary. However, this copy is devoid of it. The flat face has a characteristic appearance, with cauris evoking narrow, half-closed eyelids, a hollowed-out mouth in which sticks sometimes appear on the teeth, giving a grimacing appearance. The hairstyle is arranged in braids gathered in crest. Attached to the swollen bust, the arms are folded at a right angle. The flexing of the muscular legs heralds a ritual dance. Geometric patterns are carved on the forehead and abdomen.
Patine mate.
The Mbete form a people of Gabon, on the border of the Middle Congo, neighboring obamba, whose history ...

The variety of reliquaries in the African art of the Mbede
The Mbete are known for their antropomorphic statues with a dorsal hollow as a reliquary participating in the worship of ancestors. These exceptionally well-preserved pieces are typical of african tribal art from the Mbete , Ambete . Their cylindrical abdomen contains a rectangular cavity on the back sealed by a door in which the bones of the lineage ancestors were preserved. Placed in the lower half of the head, under a broad triangular forehead, the face has a characteristic appearance, with cauris evoking narrow half-closed eyelids, a hollowed-out geometric mouth giving it a grimacing appearance. The hairstyle on which the braids are drawn is assembled in a summit crest. Attached to the bust, the arms are folded at a ...

Ex-collection French African art.
Two buckets covered with animal skin, which are firmly held by braided raffia ties, and each lined with a handful of wood, extend with a nozzle ending with a metal tip. The stylized head, with a two-tone patina, has two side panels framing a flat face. At the mouth, two appendages form a strange mustache. As the object is laid flat, the rear surface has characteristic erosions. According to an ancestral technique, these suffocators maintained the fire permanently for a few days. The apprentice blacksmiths were introduced by the elders to the sexual symbolism of the forge bellows. Beautiful patina of use. Controlled xylophageal attacks. It is at the border of Middle Congo and Gabon that the Mbété , Ambété , who claim a Kota.Brazza origin discovered ...