African Arts Gallery

Among the prestigious objects of the Kuba groups, this cephalomorphic cup decorated with geometric motifs has a handle. Shiny patina. Damaged upper contours. Desiccation crack.
The Kuba are renowned for the refinement of prestige objects created for members of the higher ranks of their society. Indeed, several Kuba groups produced anthropomorphic objects with refined designs including cups, drinking horns and beakers. The Lele are established in the west of the Kuba kingdom, at the confluence of the Kasai and Bashilele rivers. Intercultural exchanges between the Bushoong of the Kuba territory and the Lele have made the attribution of certain objects difficult, as both groups use the same iconography, composed of faces with elaborate hairstyles and geometric decorative ...

French collection of African art
Made in bronze, this African statuette represents a notable of the Kuba court, perhaps a wife or an ancestor of royal blood, kneeling. The green patina is speckled. Here and there clay residues are noted. The Kuba, established between the Sankuru and Kasaï rivers, are made up of several tribes such as the Bushoong, Ngeendé, Binji, Wongo, Kété, etc. Each of these tribes produced a variety of sculptures related to royalty, including statues, prestige objects, and masks decorated with geometric designs.

Kneeling subject promoting lineage. The flared hairstyle is that of the Totshi chiefs belonging to the ikoho association and evokes particular proverbs. It symbolizes respect, intelligence and maturity. The patterns engraved in relief refer to the scarifications which socially and aesthetically distinguished individuals. Golden patina. A people from Central Africa established in Kasai, neighboring the Kuba, the Ndengese form one of the clans descended from a common Mongo ancestor, some of them being originally of the Upper Nile. They produced primitive art statues with absent or truncated lower limbs, covered with graphic symbols, symbolizing the prestige of the leader. Ref.: “Treasures of Africa” Tervuren Museum.

Short sword for ceremonial use whose wooden handle is wrapped in copper strips. Grainy oxidized patina.
Scattered across the Kasai basin, the Tetela of Mongo origin have been the cause of incessant conflicts with their neighbors. They also participated extensively in the slave trade. Their very diverse sculpture is marked by the influence of the groups living in contact with them: in the North, their art was subject to the influence of forest populations such as the Mongo, in the northwest that of the Nkutschu, and in the west that of Binji and Mputu. Kuba traditions were also a source of inspiration, as well as those of the Songye in the southwest. Their fetishes are kept out of sight. Animists, they seek to appease and direct the elements thanks to the sorcerer Wichi and the ...

Collection of BelgianAfrican art, the name will be communicated to the buyer.
This African initiation mask, Mbuya, comes from the Pende of the West, where the Yaka influence is notable through the slightly upturned nose, and the line of the eyebrows recalls the features of the neighboring Chokwe. This mask symbolizes the masculine and feminine qualities of the leader. The Western Pende are established on the banks of the Kwilu, while the Eastern Pende reside on the banks of the Kasai downstream of Tshikapa. Their tribal sculpture is marked by the influence of neighboring ethnic groups such as Mbla, Suku, Wongo, Leele, Kuba and Salempasu.
Within this cultural diversity, the Mbuya masks, realistic and produced every ten years, have a festive function. They embody different ...

Reduced mask, semi-spherical, which has similarities to the Songye masks. However, it did not perform the same function. This category of rather rare African masks are called "bifwebe". They appeared at funerals and investitures.
They performed during the ritual ceremonies of the kazanzi society, responsible for the fight against witchcraft. "Bifwebe" (Sing.: Kifwebe) would also mean, according to C. Faïk-Nzuji, "to chase death". Worn with a voluminous raffia ruff that concealed the dancer, this mask was generally danced in the company of a zoomorphic mask. Among the Luba, white is synonymous with the relationship with the spiritual world, by the evocation of the moon evoked by the circular shape of the object. Matte patina.

Ex-Belgian collection of African art African statuette associated with the ancestor and mythical hero, founder of the ethnic group, Chibinda Ilunga. The head, with oversized palms and feet, has a noble headdress with curved side wings (cipenya-mutwe), wicker frame covered with fabric, brass, leather, and pearls. The chief had taught his people the art of hunting.
Brilliant nuanced brown patina, erosions and desiccation cracks.
The Tschokwe, of Bantu culture, had established themselves in eastern Angola, but also in the Congo and Zambia. Following different alliances, they mingled with the Lunda who taught them hunting. Their social organization also affected Tschokwe society. The Tschokwe, however, ended up dominating the Lunda, whose kingdom was dismantled at the end of ...

The masks of the Chokwe, Luda, Luvale/Lwena, Luchazi and Mbunda clans are called "makishi" (sing. likishi) in Zambia. This name comes from "kishi", a Bantu concept that evokes the manifestation of a spirit or an ancestor. These agents of social, moral and spiritual order, forming a panel of different characters, sociable, aggressive, or unpredictable, in fact embody the spirit of an illustrious ancestor (male or female), their appearance manifesting itself mainly during rites mukanda, including circumcision, during which their true identity must remain hidden from the eyes of the profane.
Ocher brown velvety patina, abrasions.
Of Lunda origin, the Lwena emigrated from Angola to Zaire in the 19th century, repelled by the Chokwe. When some became slave traders, other groups ...

This facial mask topped with a female figure is the Mossi equivalent of the African "satimbe" masks of the Dogon of Mali. This ancestor effigy is supposed to commemorate the life of an elderly woman who gave birth to children and fulfilled her obligations to her in-laws. Good condition.
The African art sculptures of the Bobo, Bwa, Kurumba and Mossi, living in Burkina Faso, frequently take up and combine stylized elements borrowed from men, animals or insects. It is the spirits of nature that are supposed to determine the well-being and prosperity of an individual, and adversity will be considered as the result of neglecting collective rites. It is therefore during different celebrations that the mask will personify a spirit of nature or that of an ancestor in order to influence ...

Mask with two faces that could be associated with the primordial couple and would therefore intervene during cults glorifying mythical ancestors or during funeral ceremonies. These masks could also belong to the Lemba cult promoting understanding within the couple. Abraded matte patina. The old base can be repainted on request.
Established near the Woyo on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean between the former Zaire (Democratic Republic of Congo) and the Republic of Congo, the Kakongo sculpted works related to proverbs. Their statues were frequently equipped with magical charges such as the nkisi fetishes of the Kongo of the northwest. They also produced female figures and maternities. The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, the Bwende, the Yombe and the Kôngo formed the ...

Ex. French collection of African art. Animating the traditions of the Hopi Indian peoples of Arizona, the Katsinam sculpted objects (sing. Kachina ), particularly decorative, are expressed during traditional dances accompanying the annual festivals in favor of rain. The traditional Kachinam dolls are, for the Pueblo Native American group (Hopi, Zuni, Tewa Village, Acoma Pueblo and Laguna Pueblo), educational tools offered to children at the end of ritual festivals. These statuettes, embodying a great diversity of spirits, represent the katchina dancers and the colors are associated with the cardinal points.
Multicolored matte patina, minor abrasions.

African manillas were first used in the Benin kingdom and then in southern Nigeria via the Niger Delta and the Cross River. From the 15th century, they were exported by the Portuguese and then until the 18th century by the English from factories based in Birmingham and by the French from Nantes. They were produced in industrial quantities in order to be exchanged for palm oil, ivory, spices, etc. They were not only used as currency (for slaves or as a wedding dowry) but had an ornamental and ceremonial use.
Ref.: "The Perfect Form", R. Ballarini.

The lagoon populations of eastern Côte d'Ivoire mainly include the Attié, Akyé, Ebrié and Abouré. Their sculptures offer many similarities. These kingdoms had the first trading establishments offering gold, ivory, slaves and pepper to Westerners. Their history is marked by their stormy relations with the Portuguese, Dutch and English settlers in this coastal region where an intense trade in gold and slaves took place. Among the Akan group, the Attié, from Akye-Fo, "the holders of the blade", are divided between those of the North and those of the South. The Attié, producers of palm oil, also harvest yams, corn and bananas. Their traditional and festive ceremonies are an opportunity to display a wide variety of objects, some of which are made of gold or covered in gold. (source: Trésors ...

Belgian collection of African art Small statuette marked with streaks representing scarifications. Heterogeneous golden brown patina with a satin feel.
The tribes of the south-eastern region of the DRC, around Lake Tanganyika, such as the Tumbwe and the Tabwa, worship the mipasi ancestors through sculptures held by chiefs or sorcerers. A magic charge ( dawa ) was often introduced at the top of the statues' heads. The diviners-healers used this type of object to reveal witchcraft and protect against malevolent spirits. According to some, the Luba sculpted for the Tumbwe.
Source: "Trésors d'Afrique" ed. Musée de Tervuren.

Small axe with a handle engraved with a stylized motif. The latter evokes the masks used during Mukanda initiation ceremonies. ("Chokwe and Their Bantu Neighbours" Rodrigues de Areia.) Smooth black patina.
Originally Lunda, the Lwena, Luena, emigrated from Angola to Zaire in the 19th century, pushed back by the Chokwe. When some became slave traders, others, the Lovale, found refuge in Zambia. Their society is matrilineal, exogamous and polygamous. The Lwena became known for their sculptures embodying figures of ancestors and deceased chiefs, and their masks linked to the initiation rites of the mukanda. Their sculpture was largely influenced by that of the Chokwe.

French collection of African art, the name of the collector will be communicated to the purchaser.

Different versions of Fang Byeri statues make up African art. Male figure embodying an ancestor éyéma-o-byeri presenting a cup. These statues were enthroned on the cylindrical bark chests containing the bones of the clan's notables. Thick oiled patina of use, locally flaking. Abrasions, small accidents. br> The people known as Fang, or "Pahouins", described as conquering warriors, invaded in successive leaps, from village to village, the entire vast region between the Sanaga in Cameroon and the Ogooué in Gabon, between the 18th and the beginning of the 20th century.
At the back of their huts, in a dark and often smoky corner, the lineage chiefs carefully stored their Byéri, ...

The ritual consumption of palm wine in an individual cut, Kopa, Koopha, was the prerogative of the lineage leader or the matrilineal supreme leader at ceremonies, such as a wedding. It was then passed on to the next generation. Refined cup whose grip has satin the surface, it integrated into the treasure of regalia, objects of prestige symbolizing the status and reserved for the chieftaincy.
Symbols in the form of summary incisions are engraved between the two spouts. Patina nuanced. Similar models called koopha were used by the Yaka (Fig.6 p.17 in "Yaka" ed 5Continents.) The Suku and Yaka ethnic groups, established in a region between the Kwango and Kwilu rivers, in the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo, recognize common origins and have some similar social structures and ...

French collection of African art. Functional object of tribal art, particularly aesthetic and rare in this dimension, from the northeastern region of Tanzania. The stopper of this large and ancient calabash is made of dried leaves, assembled. Tears have been "sewn" using plant stems.
This region borders Kenya, facing the Indian Ocean, where the Paré, Shamba, Zigua, and Mbugu tribes live. A relative homogeneity characterizes the productions of these groups, recalling some of the Malagasy and Bataks with whom, via maritime trade, contact could once have been established.

French collection of African art .
Mende helmet mask with animal motif, associated with bundu ritual initiations. The atypical face is reminiscent of Bassa statuary. Patina consisting of a thin brown film, locally flaking. Chips and abrasions. The Mende, Vaï and Gola cultures of Sierra Leone, Liberia and the west coast of Guinea are known for helmet masks including those of the Sandé women's initiation society that prepares young girls for marriage. The Mende masks called Sowei are made by men and worn by women. The Bassa group of Liberia is established in the coastal region, more particularly around Grand-Bassa.

Functional object with a stylized motif of a female subject, carved in delicately veined ebony wood. Brown, smooth and satin patina. In the equatorial regions of Central Africa, the craftsmen and artists are the "Mapuundi". The latter mainly carve ebony, in which they fashion prestigious seats.

French African Art Collection J. Anquetil, President of French Crafts, comedian who became master weaver having been initiated among the Dogon of Mali, and author of several books including "Africa, the Hands of the World" published by Solar Editions.
Accompanying the mukanda ceremonies, this mask offers discreet scarifications, unpierced eyes, and a prominent chin. Smooth red patina, satin surface.
The masks of the Chokwe, Luda, Luvale/Lwena, Luchazi and Mbunda clans are called "makishi" (sing. likishi) in Zambia. This name comes from "kishi", a Bantu concept that evokes the ...