In the Kongo clans, this type of African effigy embodies the female ancestor of the clan, a mediating figure. The child would symbolize the matrilineal transmission of power. The Yombe decorated their textiles, mats and loincloths, with diamonds, in relief on the shoulders of the character. These motifs refer to proverbs glorifying work and social unity. Maternity figures were frequently carved atop chiefs' canes. Black patina. Desication cracks, erosions. A clan of the Kongo group, the Yombe are established on the west coast of Africa, in the south-west of the Republic of Congo and in Angola. Their statuary includes remarkable maternities. The use of this type of sculpture remains unknown. Among the Kongo , the nganga was responsible for the rituals by activating a spiritual ...
View details Kongo Statue
230.00 €
East African art. African mask from Tanzania, associated with dance ceremonies of the dry season. Beneath a broad forehead, the face is modeled, revealing rectangular eyes, a straight nose and a narrow, half-open mouth. Matte and velvety patina of use, erosions. Height on base: 47 cm. In the southern coastal region of Tanzania, around Dar-es-Salaam, a relatively homogeneous group produced most of the artistic productions. It includes the Swahili, Kaguru, Doé, Kwéré, Luguru, Zaramo, Kami. The second region is made up of a territory covering southern Tanzania to Mozambique, where some Makonde and the Yao, the Ngindo, Mwéra, and Makua live. In the North-East of Tanzania, the Chaga, Paré, Chamba, Zigua, Massaï, Iraqw, Gogo, and Héhé have an artistic production ...
View details Sukuma Mask
320.00 €
French African art collection. African sculpture depicting a seated subject, whose hands conceal the mouth. The gesture could refer to a proverb. From the top of the hollowed head points the end of a cord. Brown satin patina, abrasions of use, shine (base). The Vili , the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembe, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo formed the Kôngo group, led by King ntotela . Their kingdom reached its peak in the 16th century with the trade in ivory, copper and the slave trade. With the same beliefs and traditions, they produced statuary endowed with codified gestures in keeping with their vision of the world. Source: "the ...
View details Sundi Statuette
125.00 €
Ci wara mask in carved wood representing a single schematic silhouette of antelopes whose heads emerge in superposition. The refined sculpture is devoid of ornamentation. Eroded wood, metal pupils. Established in central and southern Mali, the Bambara, "Bamana" or "unbelievers", as the Muslims have called them, belong to the large Mande group, like the Soninke and the Malinke. Sculpted by the blacksmith numu, who also plays the role of diviner and healer, this crest embodies the animal - genius Ciwara or "wild animal of the earth", who is said to have learned the Bambara to cultivate the land. Worn at the top of the skull and held in place by a basketry hat, these crests accompanied the dancers during the rituals of the tòn, an association dedicated to agricultural work. The masks ...
View details Ci wara Mask
390.00 €
The Kuba are renowned for the refinement of decorative art objects created for members of the high ranks of their society: cups and drinking horns, baskets, weapons, neck rests, chairs, masks and statues. These items were also offered to passing visitors. The Leus live in the west of the Kuba kingdom and share common cultural characteristics with the Bushoong of the Kuba country. Both groups adorn their prestige objects with similar motifs. Their musical instruments, among which there are various carved drum forms, accompanied the masked dances or funeral ceremonies of the initiation societies. Decorated with zoomorphic figurative motifs evoking forest animals, this drum set on a flared base is also equipped with a handle adorned with a face extended with one hand. Held by small ...
View details Tambour Cuba
120.00 €
This type of protective fetish is called kakudji among the Hemba. A magical charge was frequently added, placed on the subject's head. Lustrous black brown patina, minor abrasions and crazing. Migratory flows have mixed within the same territories Bembe, Lega, Buyu (Buye) or Boyo, Binji and Bangubangu. The Basikasingo, considered by some to be a Buyu sub-clan, are however not of Bembe origin, Biebuyck's work having made it possible to trace their history. Organized into lineages, they borrowed the association of Bwami from the Lega. The Bembe and Boyo tribal traditions are relatively similar: they venerate the spirits of nature, water specifically among the Boyo, but also the heroic ancestors, whose will we seek to know by means of divinatory rites. The hunt is also an ...
View details Buyu Statue
180.00 €
Eager to appropriate the qualities of certain animals whose mores they knew remarkably, the initiates of the Lega often adopted the names of different vertebrates. These two terracotta statuettes, forming generic figures of quadruped (mugugundu) from the Lega environment, belonged to a high-ranking Bwami. The exhaust of the tail of one of them is missing. Following their exodus from Uganda in the 17th century, the Lega settled on the west bank of the Lualaba River in the DRC. Also known as Warega, these individuals live in self-contained villages surrounded by palisades, usually on the top of hills. The role of the chief, kindi , is held by the oldest man of the clan, who must be the highest ranked. As in other forest tribes, men hunt and clear while women grow cassava. The Bwami, ...
View details Lega Statue
150.00 €
These kwele masks from Gabon offer a heart-shaped face, almond-shaped eyes and a triangular nose. Generally hidden, the mouth fits here in a thin incision accentuating the softness of the mask. Depending on the presence of horns and their arrangement, the masks are called pipibudzé, Ekuku zokou, etc...and are associated with ancestors or spirits of the forest, "ekuk". Abraded matte patina, pink ocher highlights, chips. 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 masks ekuk evoking the antelope whose horns ...
View details Kwele Mask
240.00 €
Ex-collection of French African art. This stylized female African figure, Akua'ba (plural Akua'mma), has features specific to Ashanti bust dolls: a flat, circular head surmounting a cylindrical bust with horizontal arms. Thin necklaces of colored pearls contrast with the orange patina. These stylized wooden effigies were worn by pregnant women, tight in their loincloth, to ensure the arrival of beautiful children. The overwhelming majority of these statues are female, with breasts.The Ashanti are one of the ethnic groups of Ghana (former "Gold Coast"), part of the Akan group, living in a region covered of forests. Just like other people living in the central and southern part of Ghana, she speaks a language of the Twi group. This people considers the woman as the final ...
View details Ashanti Statuette
140.00 €
Ex-Swiss African art collection. In place of the magic charge U-002bibilongo" located on the abdomen, this naturalistic Kongo effigy has this time a protrusion adorned with a pattern forming a female sex. The distortion of the mouth evoking pain, it is probably a mediating figure, protective, therapeutic or associated with circumcision. The patina combining different shades of brown has acquired a satin feel. Desication grooves. The magic ingredients "bilongo" were frequently concealed in the receptacle on the abdomen of the face, which was otherwise sealed by a mirror. The sorcerers nganga, both healers, were in charge of religious activities and mediation with the God called Nzambi through consecrated figures. Aggressive witchcraft kindoki is the absolute evil that must be ...
View details Kongo Fetish
160.00 €
br>Belonging to a Fang lineage, this receptacle with high cylindrical bark walls is now devoid of ancestor relics. The carefully detailed male figure symbolizes the latter. A second, noticeably different subject adorns the outer wall. Patina of use. Among the Fang of Cameroon and those of Gabon, each family has a "Byeri", or reliquary box, in which the bones of the ancestors are kept. These boxes were guarded by the oldest man in the village, the "esa". The reliquary boxes were surmounted by a statue or a head which acted as guardian of the "byeri" boxes. These, intended to deflect evil influences, were kept in the hut. They were also used during initiation ceremonies for young people linked to the "So" society. During festivals, the statues could be separated from their boxes and ...
View details Fang Reliquary
490.00 €
Thesetribal statues, ritual charmsbelonging to lineages and providing protection against enemies, were made according to the instructions of the Nganga ngoombu and the sponsor of the object. These sculptures were then activated using rituals and incantatory formulas, and additions in the form of talismans. The headdress is that of the land chiefs. Beautiful shiny dark brown patina, abrasions. Hierarchical and authoritarian, made up of formidable warriors, Yaka society was governed by lineage leaders with the right to life and death over their subjects. Hunting and the prestige that results from it are nowadays an opportunity for the Yaka to invoke the ancestors and to resort to rituals using charms linked to the "khosi" institution. The youth initiation society is the n-khanda, ...
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Throwing weapon with a detailed anthropomorphic motif reminiscent of the deble sculptures of the Senufo. Old matt, dark and velvety patina. Abrasions. Mainly farmers, the Senoufo group inhabit a region of savannahs that covers southern Mali and Burkina Faso, and northern Côte d'Ivoire. It encompasses about fifty sub-ethnic groups. The Senoufo speak a Voltaic language Gur, Gour, like the Lobi and the Koulango. Living in a reserved area, the Senufo sculptor, whose training spanned seven years, began by making everyday objects, then, little by little, sported increasingly large sculptures. Initiatory rituals completed his learning. Ref. : https://www.art-tribal.fr/art-tribal/livres-art-africain/Sieges-d-Afrique-noire/22180.
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Primitive Lega sculptures in African art. In spite of a flat volume engraved with lines in low relief, this mask remains powerfully expressive. Smooth satin patina. This African Lega mask indicated the stage that its holder had reached in the Bwami, an apprenticeship society composed of different grades, which was joined by wives whose spouses had reached the third level, that of ngandu . Total height on pedestal: 25 cm. Within the Lega, the Bwami society, open to men and women, organized social and political life. There were up to seven levels of initiation, each associated with emblems. Following their exodus from Uganda during the 17th century, the Lega settled on the west bank of the Lualaba River in the DRC. Also known as Warega, these individuals live in autonomous ...
View details Lega mask
Honey-colored ancestor figure, representing a woman without a neck, her arms surrounding a stocky bust. The bony face bears a scarified symbolic motif called kalunga among the Chokwe. Satin patina, erosions at the top. Of Lunda origin, the Lwena emigrated from Angola to Zaire in the 19th century, repulsed by the Chokwe. Some, the Lovale, found refuge in Zambia. They became known for their honey-colored sculptures, embodying figures of deceased ancestors and chiefs, and their masks linked to the initiation rites of the mukanda. Peacefully settled in eastern Angola until the 16th century, the Chokwé were then subjected to the Lunda empire from which they inherited a new hierarchical system and the sacredness of power. The Chokwé did not have centralized power but large ...
View details Tschokwe Statuette
The tribes of the south-eastern region of the DRC, around Lake Tanganyika, such as the Tumbwe and the Tabwa, worship the ancestors mipasi through sculptures held by chiefs or sorcerers. A magic charge ( dawa ) was often introduced at the top of the head of the statues, which is not the case here. Soothsayers-healers used this type of object to reveal witchcraft and protect against malevolent spirits. According to some, the Lubas sculpted for the Tumbwe. This graceful sculpted figure depicting a very young woman wearing a long braid has a round head and protruding eyes. The narrow bust, leaning forward, is extended by short spread legs, established on a circular base. Grey-brown, matte and velvety patina. Source: "Treasures of Africa" ed. Tervuren Museum.
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Established in the Bissagos archipelago composed of about thirty islands located off the coast of Guinea-Bissau, the Bijogo sculpt figures of ancestors such as these rather similar statuettes. The faces are streaked with scarifications under pointed miter-type headdresses. They have a command baton held under the breasts, and a raffia skirt. Dark black patina. Desication cracks. The masks named vaca bruto in Portuguese Creole were displayed on the prows of warlords' boats. It was indeed Portuguese sailors who introduced the animal to the archipelago in the 15th century. Other zoomorphic masks are produced, some related to aquatic fauna, and statues embodying divinities, with triangular faces, named iran which have an apotropaic function and are placed under cover in ...
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This bronze figurine, with prominent features, was worn as a pendant around the neck by members of the Ogboni society. It was usually accompanied, connected by a chain, by a similar figure of the opposite sex, forming the Edan . Greenish-brown crusty patina, rusty inlays. The Ogboni/Ogoni people are spread over a small area of the Gulf of Guinea, east of the city of Port Harcourt in Nigeria. Like other peoples in the Gulf of Guinea, the Ogonis have an internal political structure run by leaders. They are among the peoples who escaped the black trade during the slave era thanks to relative geographical isolation. The secret society Ogboni or Oshugbo is one of the most famous religious societies that worship the Owner of the Earth, Onilè , and it is still powerful today. ...
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This ancient African statue, relating to the cult Buanga bua cibola, protected children and pregnant women. Glossy black patina, residual ocher inlays. Erosions and cracks. The different types of African statues Luluwa, Lulua, or Béna Lulua, with multiple scarifications, glorify local chiefs, motherhood, fertility and the female figure. It is in the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo that the Lulua, or Béna Lulua, from West Africa settled. . Their social structure, based on caste, is similar to that of the Luba. They produced few masks, but mostly statuettes of ancestors representing the ideal warrior, mulalenga wa nkashaama, as well as the head of the Leopard society and statuettes mbulenga related to the spirits of nature.
View details Lulua Statue
370.00 €
African tribal art and ancestor carvings for fertility and healing rituals. Male figure of realistic type, whose keloids are drawn on the bust. These scarifications bear witness to the successive stages of initiation to which an individual had been subjected. Sometimes set with ivory or earthenware, the almond-shaped eyes are encrusted with horn. Smooth surface, mahogany and black patina. Established on the plateaus of the People's Republic of Congo ex.Brazzaville, and not to be confused with the Bembe group of northern Lake Tanganinyika, the small group Babembé, Béembé, was influenced by the Téké rites and culture, but especially by that of the Kongos. Settled in the current Republic of Congo, the Béembé originally formed the kingdom of Kongo, with the Vili, Yombé, Bwendé and ...
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This African mask embodies the spirit of a primate. Beneath the eyebrow arches between which a long nose points, the grimace in a bulging chin squints the eyelids in coffee bean. Abrasions revealing remnants of a polychrome pastillage. Break under the chin. Only two types of Hemba masks have been identified: that of an anthropomorphic type with regular features, whose pointed chin recalls statuary, and those depicting monkeys, the soko mutu , and whose functions remain little known, but which probably belonged, according to J.Kerchache, to the secret societies bugabo and bambudye . The smallest copies (about 20 centimetres) are said to have been carried by hand during rituals intended for the protection of the home and fertility. In addition to the janiform statuettes kabeja, the ...
View details Hemba Mask
150.00 90.00 €