African Arts Gallery

African initiation mask, Mbuya embellished with a basketry and raffia cloth headdress. The patina results from a mixture of ochre bark and palm oil.
Height on base: 54 cm. The Western Pende live on the banks of the Kwilu, while the Eastern Pende have settled on the banks of the Kasai downstream from Tshikapa. The influences of the neighboring ethnic groups, Mbla, Suku, Wongo, Leele, Kuba and Salempasu have been imprinted on their extensive tribal art sculpture. Within this diversity the Mbuya masks , realistic, produced every ten years, have a festive function, and embody different characters difficult to differentiate without their costume, including the chief fumu or ufumu, the diviner and his wife, the prostitute,the jester, tundu , the possessed, etc.... The Mbuya ...

This female figure associated with the mythical female ancestor is said to intervene in human fertility and the fertility of the land. Her face forms a miniature replica of the powerful mukishi wa pwo nyi cijingo ca tangwa mask topped with the kambu ja tota. ("Chokwe and Their Bantu Neighbours" Rodrigues de Areia.) br> Orange brown satin patina. Cracks.
Peacefully settled in eastern Angola until the sixteenth century, the Chokwe were then subjected to the Lunda empire from which they inherited a new hierarchical system and the sacredness of power. Nevertheless, the Chokwe never fully adopted these new social and political contributions. Three centuries later, the Chokwe eventually took over the capital of the Lunda, which had been weakened by internal conflicts, thus ...

A faceted morphology for this Yela statue featuring a character with a narrow bust supported by thick angular legs. The large diamond-cut head offers a face with simply traced features.

Belgian African art collection
Produced by the pygmies of the Ituri forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo, these fabrics woven from ficus bark fibers were painted by the women. The men cut the wood and hammered the bark, and the women generally used a decoction of gardenia mixed with coal ash to draw patterns with fingers or plant stems similar to the tattoos worn by members of the tribe. On this thick copy, the rhythm and the space created between the different signs would also have a link with the polyphonic songs through which the Mbuti pygmies of Ituri address God. Woolly touch texture. The Mangbetu, in contact with the Asua pygmies, produced a similar type of fabric (called tapa in Oceania) decorated with more complex symbols called murumba or nogetwe. This type of ...

Produced by the pygmies of the Ituri forest in Democratic Republic of Congo, these fabrics woven from ficus bark fibers were painted by the women. The men cut the wood and hammered the bark, and the women generally used a decoction of gardenia mixed with coal ash to draw patterns with fingers or plant stems similar to the tattoos worn by members of the tribe. The rhythm and the space created between the different signs would also have a link with the polyphonic songs through which the Mbuti pygmies of Ituri address God. Thick texture with a woolly feel. The Mangbetu, in contact with the Asua pygmies, produced a similar type of fabric (called tapa in Oceania) decorated with more complex symbols called murumba or nogetwe. This type of fabric, if it was not worn as a loincloth, could be ...

Collection of French African art.
Kuba ceremonial belt, embroidered with pearls and cowrie shells, an ancient currency. br /> Several tribes make up the Kuba group, established between the Sankuru and Kasaï rivers: Bushoong, Ngeendé, Binji, Wongo, Kété, etc... Each of them produced a variety of sculptures, statues, prestigious objects, masks, frequently decorated geometric patterns.
The Kuba, whose name means "lightning bolt", also produced African tools and weapons, including throwing knives, which later became transaction values, and heavy war swords, Ilwoon.

This type of figure, accompanied by its male complement Ntanda, intervened during initiation rites. Locally peeling light patina.
The Metoko and the Lengola, whose ritual sculptures are very similar, are peoples of the primary forest dedicated to the worship of a single God, a rare monotheism in Africa. Their society comprising three ranks, the Bukota, structured daily life and welcomed both men and women. It represents the equivalent of the Bwami association of the Lega. The sculptures played a role during initiation ceremonies, and were then placed on the tomb of high-ranking initiates. Kakungu in particular was surrounded by other sculpted objects, including Ntanda and Itea couple figures, related to initiation rites and circumcision . Most of these figures had a name, like the ...

This African sculpture of a young man adopts some of the canons of the statues baule, known as "colonists". It is, however, a blolo bian figure, associated with the spouse of the afterlife. Polychrome patina. Abrasions. br> Some sixty ethnic groups populate Côte d'Ivoire, including the Baule, 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, within 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 komien diviners, the latter being selected by the asye usu spirits ...

Contemporary artists in South Africa create dolls filled with a multitude of glass beads. Touching and decorative, these works also alternate various metal elements and shells, highlighting the skill and creative sense of their designers.
During the 19th century, tribes united to form the group called Zulu, whose local chiefs, led by the king, are called iduma. Their society is that of warriors organized into age groups. It was in 1884 that they were annexed by the English. Skilled in making ornaments, the Zulus work with leather, metal and ceramics, adding feathers and beads. Pearls, while having a protective role, indicate the social situation of those who wear them.

Large "senior" mask named Kpan depicting a dignitary. Carved from dense wood, this mask is surmounted by three seated subjects, symbolizing the aye usu or ancestor spirits. Semi-matte polychrome patina.
These Baoulé portrait masks, ndoma, which are part of one of the oldest Baoulé artistic traditions and frequently represent an idealized character, have the particularity of appearing at the end of entertainment dance ceremonies . These masks personify graceful young girls or men whose valor or qualities of integrity are renowned. New generations are gradually replacing these Mblo dances called Gbagba in certain villages, retaining most of the old conventions, with the Kpan Kpan dance. ,  whose masks raise societal issues or refer to political projects.

Collection of Belgian African art.
Worn on the left to protect the forearm from collisions, this functional adornment was intended for archers. In Rwanda, the Tutsi used a pad covered with grass, and wooden protections called igitembe were therefore rare. Abrasions and small accidents. Height on base: 27 cm.
A nomadic people, the Tutsi were particularly decimated by the Islamic slave trade and by recurrent internal wars. The population groups called "Interlacustrine Bantus", established between Lake Victoria and the Limpopo River, include the Ganda, Nyoro, Nkole, Soga, Toro, Hima, and the Tutsi of Rwanda and Burundi. Their cultures have similarities, like their artistic production and their everyday objects. The Tutsi raise cattle. They also excel in the art of weaving and ...

Produced by the pygmies of the Ituri forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo, these fabrics woven from ficus bark fibers were painted by the women. The men cut the wood and hammered the bark, and the women generally used a decoction of gardenia mixed with coal ash to draw designs similar to the tattoos sported by members of the tribe. The rhythm and the space created between the different signs would also have a link with the polyphonic songs through which the pygmies of Ituri address God. The Mangbetu, in contact with the Asua pygmies, produced a similar type of fabric (called tapa in Oceania) decorated with more complex symbols called murumba or nogetwe. This type of fabric, if it was not worn as a loincloth, could be stretched on the interior walls of the huts. Ref. : ...

Janiform fetish sculpture kabeja, also used among the Luba, and among the Kasongo who call them kakuji. The top is hollowed out in order to receive the bijimba, a load composed of magical elements from the natural, human and plant environment. Each clan had a kabeji sculpture intended for protection and healing. But this type of fetish could also be reserved for individual use. Grainy matte patina, drying cracks.
The Hemba form a subgroup of the Luba ethnic group living in the southeast of DR Congo, east of the Lualaba River, and are especially renowned for their singiti statuary representing chiefs . Formerly under the domination of the Luba, these farmers and hunters practiced ancestor worship by means of effigies long attributed to the Luba. Their society brings together ...

In African tribal art, amulets, also called charms, take up the canons of the mask they represent. These pendants can be in ivory or bone.
This Baoulé copy, extremely rare, is embellished with a pretty orange patina.

The African masks naturalistic of the Kongo clans.

According to the sources, these masks would belong to the diviners, to the Ndunga society, or were worn during funeral rites.
This naturalistic face, framed by ears, is distinguished by its mouth revealing two single teeth, its flattened nose and narrow slits for the eyes. He is also wearing a skullcap. Soft wood, abraded matte patina.
The Vili , the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo formed the Kôngo group, headed by the king ntotela . Their kingdom reached its peak in the 16th century with the ivory and copper trade and the slave trade. With the same beliefs and traditions, they produced a statuary with a codified gesture related to their worldview. In ...

This sculpted figure named Bateba represents a character with a raised arm. This type of statuette was placed on the altar after a ritual to become the receptacle of a bush spirit, the Thil, and thus become an active, intermediary being who fights against sorcerers and all other harmful forces. Desication crack.
Velvety grey-brown patina. When honored, these spirits manifest their benevolence in the form of abundant rains, good health, many births; ignored, they withdraw it and lead to devastating epidemics, drought and suffering.
These spirits transmit to the diviners the laws that followers must follow to receive their protection.
They are represented by wooden or copper sculptures called Bateba (large or small, figurative or abstract, they adopt different attitudes that ...

The African art and the refinement of Kuba weaving.
Produced in Zaire by the Shoowa, Bashoowa, subgroup Kuba, these fabrics forming true paintings of primitive art, are made of a raffia textile base on which threads are cut short, forming a velvet effect accentuated by contrasts in tone. The geometrical patterns formed represent the ethnic group's body scarifications or the decorations of sculptures. These refined fabrics were intended to be used at the royal court, as a seat or cover, to enhance its prestige. In many cases, they were used as currency, or followed their owners to the grave, covering the body of the deceased. It was King Shamba Bolongongo who introduced the technique of velvet weaving to Kuba country in the 17th century. He had previously introduced the Kuba ...

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. In African tribal art, warlike scenes glorifying them were reproduced on narrative plaques, in bronze, and affixed to the walls. Sumptuous bronze altars, commemorative figures of deceased chiefs, majestic felines, heavy bracelets, anklets and recades were produced in quantity in numerous foundry workshops using the lost wax casting technique. During the 16th century, Oba Esigie commissioned the first copper alloy plaques with relief ornamentation to decorate the palace.
This Benin type lost wax bronze depicts the king and his guard. Brown patina, partial verdigris oxidation.

Contemporary artists in South Africa create dolls filled with a multitude of glass beads. Touching and decorative, these works also alternate various metal elements and shells, highlighting the skill and creative sense of their designers.
During the 19th century, tribes united to form the group called Zulu, whose local chiefs, led by the king, are called iduma. Their society is that of warriors organized into age groups. It was in 1884 that they were annexed by the English. Skilled in making ornaments, the Zulus work with leather, metal and ceramics, adding feathers and beads. Pearls, while having a protective role, indicate the social situation of those who wear them.

Ritual instrument used in the fourth initiatory rank of the Bamana Kore society, Bambara, this cane is named, like the horse mask, Kore Duga or the Kore vulture b>. The name of the mask refers to the satirical behavior of the dancer-jester who straddles the stick during his performance. It has various objects associated with the knowledge dispensed by the Koré, the last initiatory society of the Bamana. The handle has a slightly curved flat seat and is extended by a sculpted head. Black brown patina, erosions and cracks, lack.

This African art statuette, Hemba or Luba Nkisi, personifies a male ancestor, standing on a single leg. Velvety smooth patina, locally chipped. Minimal cracks.

The Hemba settled in southeastern Zaire. Once under Luba rule, these farmers and hunters practice ancestor worship through effigies long attributed to the Luba. The statues singiti 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 great role within the clan.

(Source: "Treasures of Africa, Museum of Tervuren)