African Arts Gallery

French African art collection.
The figurative motif of this sculpted object is supposed to contain, according to the Lobi, the "khélé", a power present in every human being. Glossy golden patina. The populations of the same cultural region, grouped together under the name "lobi", form a fifth of the inhabitants of Burkina Faso. Few in Ghana, they have also settled in the north of Côte d'Ivoire. It was at the end of the 18th century that the Lobi, coming from North Ghana, settled among the indigenous Thuna and Puguli, the Dagara, the Dian, the Gan and the Birifor. The Lobi believe in a creator God named Thangba Thu, to whom they address themselves through the cult of numerous intermediary spirits, the Thil, the latter being supposed to protect them, with the help of the diviner, ...

Among the range of African masks listed among the Dogon, this example cut in a rectangular volume presents traditional geometric features. Matte, blackened, heavily eroded surface.
The Dogon people are renowned in African art for the myths and beliefs relating to their cosmogony.
Its population is estimated at around 300,000 souls living in the southwest of the Niger loop in the Mopti region of Mali (Bandiagara, Koro, Banka), near Douentza and part of northern Burkina (north- west of Ouahigouya). Most of the masks are used by circumcised initiates of the Awa society during funeral ceremonies. The "nyama", the mask's vital force, is activated by various rituals in order to develop the object's full magical potential.
On the occasion of a Dama, a ritual marking the end of ...

Male figure whose abdomen has a hollowed-out shape. This object was intended for beer or palm wine administered during ritual ceremonies. The bust is incised with geometric patterns. The face is streaked with traditional ethnic marks.
Irregular satin patina.
It is in the northern part of the interior of Nigeria that the Koro settled, alongside the Waja, Mama, Hausa, and Dakakari. Especially renowned for their masks adorned with red abrus seeds embodying the ancestors, they also use this type of cup for ritual offerings during funerals or during sacrifices. Some of these sculptures formed double cups for shared use.

These African statues carved according to Yaka formal standards, were made following the instructions of the Nganga ngoombu and the sponsor of the object. This statue is distinguished by the quality of its balanced structure and by its face reproducing the masks of the group, equipped with an identifiable trumpet nose. Glossy black-garnet patina. Desication cracks, 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, which is found ...

Bwami initiation mask, indicating the acquisition of a certain individual wisdom and morality. Relatively large, this mask bears a chipped gray patina, revealing in places patterns evoking the scarifications in use.
Losses, abrasions.
Within the Léga established on the west bank of the Lualaba River, in the DRC, 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. The role of chief, kindi, is held by the oldest man in the clan, who must be the highest ranking. As in other forest tribes, men hunt and clear while women cultivate cassava. Social recognition and authority also had to be earned individually: the chief owed his selection to his heart (mutima), good character, ...

The initiation rituals and African art of the Ngbaka
This African mask of Ngbaka, of reduced volume, carries linear incisions on the nose indicating scarifications in use in the ethnic group. The eyes and mouth are only simply hollowed out, valuing the wide orbits on which imperceptible kaolin residues are still detectable. Color grooves delineate the face. Semi-mate patina.
Tribu settled on the left bank of the Ubangui, the Ngbaka practice agriculture, and their artistic achievements were inspired by those of the neighbouring tribes Ngbandi and Ngombe , with a distinctive feature, however, the front line dotted with linear keloids. They are organized into tribes without political unity, under the tutelage of Chief wan and worship a god named Gal through worship of the spirits ...

The slightly asymmetrical design gives this rare Kuba statuette a unique character, leaving the lasting imprint of its creator. Expressionist features are distinguished by an oversized, grimacing, toothy mouth. From the body entirely streaked with hatching, the umbilicus and sex protrude. Satin black patina. Abrasions.
The Kuba and the tribes established between the Sankuru and Kasai rivers, including the Bushoong and Dengese also originating from the Mongo group, are renowned for the refinement of prestige objects created for members of the high ranks of their society. The Kuba kingdom was founded in the 16th century by the Bushoong who are still led today by a king or nyim, considered to be of divine origin, inspiring the statuary of the ethnic group. Both head of the kingdom ...

The figure Kakulu ka mpito whose arms are absent or attached to the trunk, would refer to a man who suffers from the infidelities of his wife. He is also called Mukobania, to refer to a young man whose decision to invite strangers would have been disastrous. This character frequently wears a hood of goat or felid hair from which fragments of animal skin remain. Grainy residue is embedded between the facial features. Patina of blackish use. Velvety patina encrusted with ochre. Erosions.
The African art of the Lega, Balega, or even Warega, is distinguished by its initiation statuettes, also made of ivory, some of which were kept in a basket intended for the highest ranking Bwami from different communities. This type of Iginga statuette ( Maginga in the plural), was the property of ...

Evoking the ancestor of the clan as a mediating figure, the character presents body scarifications associated with his rank and symbolically supports his chest. The Yombe indeed adorned their textiles, mats and loincloths, with this type of lozenge pattern related to proverbs glorifying work and social unity. The glazed eyes underline the ability of the ancestress to perceive the beyond, to discern hidden things.
Glossy patina, residual ocher encrustations. Erosions on the base.
Belonging to the Kongo group, the Yombe are established on the West African coast, in the south-west of the Republic of Congo and in Angola. Their statuary includes remarkable maternities. Among the Kongo , the nganga was responsible for the rituals by activating a spiritual force with ...

Traditional divination instruments in Chokwe and Kongo African art sculpture.

Accessory of the diviner, this zoomorphic instrument intended for divination is now without its pusher. The latter, in the form of a wooden button, was rubbed on the flat part of the object in order to know the answer to the questions asked. These tools, used to solve various problems, take up animal motifs associated with the spirits of nature but also decorative motifs in use. The Lunda would be at the origin of divination among the Chokwe. Abraded velvety patina, ocher brown.
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. Nevertheless, the ...

This stick carved with a pattern like the masks of the group is part of the chief's figurative insignia. Glossy black brown patina. 36 cm on base.
The Western Pende live on the banks of the Kwilu, while the Eastern settled on the banks of the Kasaï downstream from Tshikapa. The influences of neighboring ethnic groups, Mbla, Suku, Wongo, Leele, Kuba and Salempasu imprinted on their large tribal art sculpture. Within this diversity, the Mbuya masks, realistic, produced every ten years, take on a festive function, and embody different characters, including the chief, the diviner and his wife, the prostitute, the possessed, etc... The masks of initiation and those of power, the minganji, represent the ancestors and occur successively during the same ceremonies, agricultural festivals, ...

Ancestor statuette marked with keloid signs testifying to the successive stages of initiation to which the individual was subjected. A bilongo load is attached to the back. Sometimes set with ivory or earthenware, the almond-shaped eyes are encrusted with bone. Brilliant orange-brown patina.
Established on the plateaus of the People's Republic of Congo ex. Brazzaville, and not to be confused with the Bembe group north of Lake Tanganinyika, the small Bwende group was influenced by Téké rites and culture , but especially by that of the Kongo. The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembe, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo constituted 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 ...

This statuette evoking the mythical ancestor of the Kongo is represented kneeling on a turtle, carrying a calabash. Kongo myths or proverbs illustrate the various qualities of prudence, longevity, etc., of the turtle. The deciphering of this type of sculpture requires knowledge of the Kongo sayings. Cracks of desiccation. Satin patina.
The Solongo cultures of Angola and Yombé were largely influenced by theKongo kingdom from which they borrowed naturalistic statuary and religious rites, particularly by means of carved fetishes.
In the 13th century, the Kongo people, led by their king Ne Kongo, settled in a region at the crossroads of the present-day DRC, Angola and Gabon. Two centuries later, the Portuguese came into contact with the Kongo and converted their king to ...

African statuette carved from the Kongo, this female effigy embodies the clan ancestor, a mediating figure.
The child would embody the matrilineal transmission of power.
The mouth is gaping, the eyes seem exorbitant, underlining the capacity of the ancestress to discern occult things. The use of this type of sculpture remains unknown. However, they frequently formed the motif carved at the top of the chiefs' canes. Dark brown lustrous patina. Abrasions.
A clan of the Kongo group, the Yombe are established on the West African coast, in the southwestern Republic of the Congo and in Angola. Their statuary includes remarkable maternities. Among the Kongo , the nganga took charge of rituals by activating a spiritual force with a nkondi (pl. nkissi). The ...