African Arts Gallery

Mask offering the physiognomy of a primate. Kaolin residues. This sculpted work indicated the stage that its holder had reached within the Bwami, a learning society made up of different ranks, and which were joined by the wives whose husbands had reached the third level, that of ngandu . Height including beard: 48 cm. Within the Léga, the Bwami society, open to men and women, organized social and political life. There were up to seven initiation levels, each associated with emblems. Following their exodus from Uganda in the 17th century, the Lega settled on the west bank of the Lualaba River in DRC. During ritual ceremonies, Idumu masks were presented to initiates placed on a barrier and surrounded by smaller masks. The teacher guided the aspirant to a place where ...

Ex-German tribal art collection.
The stylized African art of the forest tribes
Cubic volumes and sharp features make up a certain dynamic for this primitive metoko statue, whose characteristics are similar to Thengola sculptures. A face cut in flat, with hollowed-out orbits in the heart, is divided into two tones taken from the spots painted on the character's body, reminiscent of the bichrome of Gabon's masks. The feet sink into a circular base. Cracks. This male cult effigy is from the Metoko and Lengola, located in the center of the Congolese basin between the Lomami and Lualaba rivers, peoples of the primary forest dedicated to the worship of a single God, rare monotheism in Africa. Their company, Bukota, welcoming both men and women, is the equivalent of the association ...

Sculpted according to the indications of the diviner after consultation, embodying a type of "ideal spouse", this female figure offers most of the criteria which distinguish traditional Baoulé sculpture relating to "spouses of the beyond" (African Art Western Eyes, Baule ", Vogel, p.253 to 257).
Chip, small abrasions.
Two types of statues are produced by the Baoulé in the ritual context: The Waka-Sona statues, “being of wood” in Baoulé, evoke an assié oussou, being of the earth. They are part of a type of statue intended to be used as a medium tool by the komien diviners, the latter being selected by the asye usu spirits in order to communicate revelations from the beyond. The second type of statues are the spouses of the afterlife, male, the Blolo bian or female, the ...

Figure "Waka -Sona", "est of wood, ED" in baoulé, carved in dense wood, presents a light brown patina. Both hands of the character rest on the bulging abdomen. This gesture of life refers to parentage. Two types of statues Waka-Sona are produced by the baoulé in the ritual framework: those that evoke a assius oussou, being from the earth, and are part of a set of statues intended to be used as a medium tool by the Komian soothsayers, the latter being selected by the asye usu spirits in order to communicate the revelations of the afterlife. The second type of statues are the spouses of the afterlife, male, Blolo bian or female, the blolo bia . About 60 ethnic groups populate Côte d'Ivoire, including the Baoulé in the centre, Akans from Ghana, the savannah people, hunting and farming, as ...

Three legs support the rectangular top of this African headrest decorated with two similar busts. The glossy wood tray is of a mahogany tone while the statuettes adopt a dark patina. Very slight erosion. Tribe of the Tabwa group, the Rungu are established in a region between the D.R.C. (Democratic Republic of Congo), Zambia and Tanzania. Under the influence of the neighboring Lubas and Bemba, the Rungu produced prestigious objects for dignitaries, stools, combs, spoons and scepters, frequently decorated with figures of couples or twins. Their king, called mwéné tafuna , lives in Zambia. A women's association, Kamanya , has dolls like those of the Tabwas.

Ex-collection Italian African art.

Female figure from the Kangulungu region sculpted in a naturalist style, with the famous half-closed female gaze, "zanze". Represented naked, fingers joined on the sternum, she adopts an expression of contemplation. These statues were generally part of a fertility cult and were kept in a room in the chief's house. Matte red ochre patina. Abrasions. 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 the neighboring ethnic groups, Mbla, Suku, Wongo, Leele, Kuba and Salempasu were imprinted on their large sculpture of tribal art. Within this diversity the masks Mbuya, realistic, produced every ten years, have a festive function, and embody ...

French collection of African tribal art .
Uncommon type of African mask igbo-ada, distinguished by its minimalism and the blade reminiscent of a yam knife. It appeared during the dry season to highlight notions of virility. Matte patina, crusty residual deposits of yellow, white, and brown hues.
The Igbo are established in the southern region of the Niger Delta in Nigeria. The Ada or Edda, of which the Afikpo are a part, form an Igbo subgroup established in the southeast of Nigeria, near the Cross River.
Their political system is complex and little known. The village constitutes the most important social unit, the smallest being the extended family. The Igbo religion includes on the one hand the god Chuku, supreme creator, considered omnipotent, omniscient and ...

The two faces next to each other, whose colors oppose each other, would refer to the complementarity of man-woman, but also the beneficial one of twins. This mask is linked to the entertainment festivals of the ndoma cult. The motifs inscribed in relief, ngole, represent keloid scarifications. These portrait masks of the Baoulé, 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 .The latter are named, depending on the region, bedwo, ngblo, mblo, adjussu, etc... . Each of these masks is distinguished by the hairstyles, the location and choice of scarifications, etc. Also called Gbagba, they personify graceful young girls or men whose ...

Ex-French collection African tribal art The African masks Kwele from Gabon have a small concave face in which the reliefs are composed of almond-shaped eyes and a triangular nose. Generally hidden in the jaw line, the mouth is drawn in a thin incision. Depending on the presence of horns and their arrangement, the masks are called pipibudzé , Ekuku zokou , etc... and are associated with the ancestors or spirits of the forest, " ekuk ".

Velvety matte patina. Erosions and cracks.
A 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 ...

In addition to their weapons and prestigious objects and their funerary sculpture, the Sundi made use, individually and collectively, of conjuration fetishes often equipped with a magic charge. The naturalist-type character carries a load made up of a mass of various elements. Baby bird down remains on its headdress. Nuanced brown patina, desiccation cracks.
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 a statuary endowed with a codified gesture in relation to their vision of the world.

Mumuye zoomorphic masks in African art
Mumuye African masks were used during the ceremonies closing the initiatory periods of the " sons of va "... and during great events. Each group had a mask carved to symbolize its identity, buffalo, monkey, leopard, etc. ... which was called va or vabou . This mask takes the form of a helmet whose angular top extends horizontally from a bird's head. Large gaping pupils have been arranged under this projection, giving a fantastic aspect to the object. Velvety matte patina with resinous residues.
The statuary emanating from the northwestern region of the Middle Benue, from the Kona Jukun, to the Mumuye and up to the Wurkun populations is characterized by a relative absence of ornamentation and a refined stylization. The 100,000 ...

Ex-Belgian collection of African art.
African mask "Déanglé" wearing a thick headdress of carefully woven raffia. The masks were sculpted according to precise instructions following dreams in which the spirits would have manifested themselves. Dark matte patina. Height on base: 36 cm. Very minor abrasions.
The Dan masks, of varied workmanship, generally occur during very theatrical entertainment festivals where women play a leading role. The so-called "mocking" mask called Déanglé defines an ideal of beauty and benevolence because it is sculpted in honor of the young girls of the village or renowned men. Each of the masks bore a name linked to its function. Also used during circumcision rites, they appear in the company of the singing masks gle sö and the large masks go ge ...

Collection of African Belgian art.
This Yaka Kholuka mask, said of circumcision and initiation of young boys, marks the end of the period of confinement. These African masks represent various degrees of the hierarchy of initiates, and as the personal imagination can express itself freely in them, they are very varied. The set is well preserved. The representation of the upturned nose is quite characteristic of the Yaka ethnic group. The headdress is emblematic of the ethnic group. Yaka society is extremely hierarchical and authoritarian. The head of lineage indeed has the right of life and death over his subjects. As often, the artistic movement of the ethnic group was influenced by neighboring populations. For the Yaka, the influence comes mainly from the Suku and Kongo ethnic ...

Aiming in most cases to satisfy the thirst for prestige of their owners, utilitarian objects had to be adapted to the social rank of each. This small ritual pipe has a mouthpiece carved with a head referring to the ancestors of the clan. Tobacco use was widespread among the Chokwe, and smoking was an integral part of offerings to ajimu spirits
Beautiful patina lustrous by use, cracks. 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. br>

African Art Luba

Considered a "nkishi", this African sculpture, ritual rattle is said to be endowed, in the Luba culture, with powerful magical and apotropaic powers. These objects come in different forms, including this female figure perched on gourds mounted on a stick. The posture, hands positioned on the breasts, reminds us that the secrets of royalty belong to women thanks to their role as political and spiritual intermediaries. This object was used in the context of the Bugabo association, active during the colonial period among the Luba and related groups, a society linked to hunting, healing and combat. It was customary, during rituals, to fill the gourd with magical ingredients in order to strengthen its power. The ingredients used produced a sound when the object ...

French collection of tribal art These Tchicheri, or cicilg, present themselves to us either in reduced forms intended for the family altar, or in the form of personal talisman, the yendu tchicheri. Only the sons of diviners were authorized to sculpt this protective effigy. In West Africa, the tchitcheri sakab (pl. of Tchicherik) embody a founding ancestor of the clan. This crude-looking sculpted figure, devoid of features and now eroded and furrowed, was initially planted in the earth.
The mediating object is supposed to increase the magical power of the family or community altar. Light patina, dark drips.

Lit. : "The soul of Africa", S. Diakonoff.; “Africa” Ed. Prestel; “The Ewa and Yves Develon African Collection” Musée des Confluences.

French collection of African art A Togolese version of the Ibejdi of the Yorubas, these figurines of missing twins have a light beige patina of use. The golden heads probably had to benefit from ritual anointings. Missing.

The Ewe, often confused with the Minas, are the largest ethnic group in Togo. They are also found as minorities in Ghana, Benin, Ivory Coast and Nigeria. The Ewe consider the birth of twins called Venavi (or Venovi) as a happy omen. They must be treated identically and fairly. For example, both will be fed and washed at the same time and will wear the same clothes, until puberty.
If one of the twins dies, the parents obtain a statuette intended to replace the deceased child and contact a witch doctor to activate its magical virtues.

Source: ...

Atypical, this interesting Yoruba statuette offers a polychrome patina tarnished by time, locally chipped. Seated, the subject all in length rests large digitized hands on his knees. Small erosions. Height on base: 31 cm.
Centered on the veneration of its gods, or orisà, the Yoruba religion is based on artistic sculptures with coded messages (aroko). The kingdoms of Oyo and Ijebu were born following the disappearance of the Ifé civilization and are still at the base of the political structure of the Yoruba. The Oyo created two cults centered on the Egungun and Sango societies, still active, which venerate their gods, the Orisa, through ceremonies using masks, statuettes, scepters and divination supports. The slave trade helped to disseminate Yoruba beliefs across the continents.

The rich production of African art among the populations of the Cameroonian Grassland is illustrated mainly by traditional wood carving: commemorative sculptures of kings, queens, princesses and titled servants, as well as parents of twins.
Within the large Bamileke people in western Cameroon, the Bangwa constitute a small kingdom made up of nine chiefdoms. The influence of the Bamileke on bangwa statuary is notable for relatively comparable facial features and morphology.
Typical of the Bamileke country, Bangwa statues often represent fertility but also power and fighting spirit. This male statuette sculpted in the round is in fact camped with bent knees, arms outstretched from the bust. This dynamic position would announce a ritual dance. The character is adorned with noble ...

Everyday objects in African art.
A functional accessory for ritual ceremonies, this sculpted spoon offers a deep bowl in the shape of a cone extended by a flat, curved handle. Fine parallel streaks form intersecting patterns on the matte surface. Velvety patina, abrasions from use.
Height on base: 30 cm.
Disseminated in the Saharan region of Libya, Mali, Algeria and Niger, the Tuareg (sing.: Targui), or "Veiled Men", come from Berber pastors fleeing the Arabs in Libya in the 7th century. The targui blacksmith also carves wood, this being a rare material, the carved objects which are often repaired to prolong their use are part of the dowry.
Ref. : "Black Africa, 1" J. Anquetil.

French collection of African tribal art Decorated with accessories related to prestige and fertility, this ancient African doll of the Namji or Dowayo, a people of animist mountain dwellers established in the north of Cameroon, wears a leather outfit. Abraded patina of use.

These African tribal dolls are carved in wood by the blacksmith, initially for the play of little girls. But these dolls are mainly used by sterile women in complex fertility rituals, the doll becoming a substitute child that they will treat as such. In some cases the fiancé offered it to his future wife, the doll representing their future offspring. The decoration of the doll can also reproduce the finery of the new initiates after their period of seclusion.