African Arts Gallery

A central African people based in Kasai, a neighbour of the Kuba, the Ndengese form one of the clans of a common ancestor Mongo, some of them from upper Nile. They produced statues of art first to the absent or truncated lower limbs, covered with graphic symbols, symbolizing the prestige of the leader. The flared hairstyle topped with a summit horn is characteristic of the hairstyles acquired by the Totshi chefs belonging to the association ikoho and evokes particular proverbs. It symbolizes respect, intelligence and maturity. The face seems to be in meditation. The neck has a sling. The bust bears losangic scarifications in relief, with the aim of differentiating socially and aesthetically. The clasped hands highlight the protruding umbilical. Dark brown patina abraded. Desication ...

Male figure of tetela inspiration, and whose posture indicates combativeness. This is the reactive, energetic warrior pose called pakalala. Oily black patina. Desication cracks, losses.
Scattered throughout the Kasai basin, the Tetela of Mongo origin have been the source of incessant conflicts with their neighbors. They also participated extensively in the slave trade. Their very diversified sculpture is marked by the influence of the groups living in contact with them: in the North, their art was subjected to the influence of the populations of the forest such as the Mongo, in the northwest that of the Nkutschu, and to the west that of Binji and Mputu. Kuba traditions have also been a source of inspiration, as well as those of the Songye in the southwest. Their fetishes are kept ...

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, ...

In Mali, the didactic masquerades of the sogobo are populated by animal masks. This tradition of puppet theater is common to the multi-ethnic peoples living in the interior delta of the Niger, including the Bozo and the Malinké. Unlike the ciwara masks linked to agrarian rites, these zoomorphic masks are masks of theatrical festivities, referring to local myths and tales. Grainy patina of use, desication cracks, alterations.
Established in central and southern Mali, in a savannah zone, the Bambara, "Bamana" or "unbelievers", as the Muslims have named them, belong to the large Mande group, with the Soninke and the Malinke. Mainly farmers, but also breeders, they make up the largest ethnic group in Mali. Animists, they believe in the existence of a creator god generically called ...

An idea of receiving the mystical charge called "Bonga", this angular statue of his ancestor Téke was wrapped in a textile that was to hold the load in its receptacle.
Patine smooth shiny, mattified areas.
Andeblis between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon, the Teké were organized into chiefdoms whose leader was often chosen from among the blacksmiths. The head of the family, mfumu , had the right to life or death over his family whose importance determined his prestige. The leader of the clan, ngantsié , kept the great protective fetish tar mantsié who oversaw all the ceremonies. It is the powerful sorcerer healer and soothsayer who was unloaded" of magical elements, for retribution, individual statuettes or nkumi . According to the Teke, wisdom was absorbed and ...

Incorporating the category of African masks for initiation, Mbuya, this example has typically hanging lowered eyelids, an upturned nose and a mouth revealing sharp teeth. .

Soft brown patina. Height on base: 37 cm.

The western Pende live on the banks of the Kwilu, while the eastern people have settled on the banks of the Kasai downstream from Tshikapa. The Mbuya masks, realistic, produced every ten years, take on a festive function, and embody different characters that are 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 initiation masks linked to the initiation mukanda< /i> and those of power , the minganji , represent the ...

The tribal masks of the Songye .
African mask from the Songye, in the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The rounded forehead of this sleek mask has no sagittal crest. The planes of contrasting colors reinforce the geometric character of the work. Matte patina, abrasions.
Height on base: 39 cm.
Three variants of this Kifwebe mask( pl. Bifwebe) or "chasing death" (Roberts) stand out: the masculine (kilume) generally with a high crest, the feminine (kikashi) with a very bass or even absent, and finally the greatest embodying power (kia ndoshi). This type of mask, still used today, is worn with a long costume and a long beard made of natural fibres, absent on this example, during major ceremonies. The Songye came from the Shaba region in the DRC and settled ...

Initially made in a calabash, the Ndunga masks were then carved in wood. They were worn accessorized with a banana leaf costume. The whole thing referred to a moralizing saying. Regulating society of civil order, the bakama had different levels, including the bandunga, secret police and religious authority. The related masks appeared later during rituals of purification or protection against calamities, during the funerals of dignitaries, or even the enthronement of chiefs.
Matt patina, erosions, lacks and 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 ...

"Little favourite", Nyeleni, for the Bambara, this African sculpture carried by long half-flexed legs has a narrow stylized face . Losses and desication cracks.
Dark gray matte patina.
The Bambara of central and southern Mali belong to the large Mande group, like the Soninke and the Malinke. They believe in the existence of a creator god generically called Ngala who maintains order in the universe. His existence coexists with another androgynous god called Faro. Large masked parties close the initiation rites of the dyo association and the gwan ritual of the Bambara in the south of the Bambara country. Spread over a period of seven years for men, they are less demanding for women. The new initiates then celebrate, in groups, from village to village, their symbolic ...

These tribal statues, ritual charms belonging 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. The headdress is that of the land chiefs. Satin brown patina. Abrasions, chips.
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 among the eastern Kongo (Chokwe, ...

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 ...

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 ...

Mask with a face printed with a dark median band, hollowed out pupils, and a mouth revealing traditionally filed teeth.
The hairstyle is composed of braids gathered in shells. Two-tone patina. Abrasions and erosions. Present along the Gabonese coast, the Vili broke away from the Kongo kingdom in the 16th century and the Loango kingdom became a powerful state. Now urbanized for the most part, they nevertheless still integrate traditional associations, dependent on ancestor worship such as the Mbouiti or the Bieri. Like the Kongo group, in order to protect themselves against witchcraft and various plagues, they produce a wide variety of magical ritual objects of the nkisi type. Their masks are used by the Ndunga or Djembe association, but also for the funerals of ...

Like the Legas, the Zimbas have educational sculptures associated with initiation rites, but they also have anthropomorphic sculptures, in this case in terracotta, with openings for magical charges at the top of the head.
Erosions, heterogeneous patina with residual ochre incrustations.
The Zimba, also called Binja, are close neighbors of the Lega of the Pangi and Shabunda region of the DRC. Subject to Lega influence, they share some institutional similarities with the Lega and Luba. Whether they live in the forest or in the savannah, the symbolism of their art and rituals are associated with hunting, which is of major importance. They are also patrilineal groups that have eventually supplanted the matrilineal organization of their society. Like the Lega, the ...

The linear motifs running through this statuette refer to the traditional paintings of the ethnic group, inspired by the tattoos of the neighboring Asua pygmies and which evolved according to circumstances. Among the Mangbetu from an early age, children of the upper classes also suffered compression of the cranial box, held tight by raffia ties. Later, the hair was "knitted" on wicker strands and a headband encircled the forehead in order to bring out the hair and constitute this majestic headdress accentuating the elongation of the skull. The ancients call beli the anthropomorphic figures embodying ancestors, stored out of sight, and comparable to those belonging to their secret society nebeli.

Orange-brown patina, cracks and losses.
The Mangebetu kingdom in ...

Statues such as this example are frequently placed near the body of the deceased during mourning ceremonies. It is associated with a cult, very widespread among the animist Idoma as well as among the Igala and the Yoruba of the South, supposed to promote the fertility of women and protect their descendants. These statues were then kept in sanctuaries. She is adorned with tattoos, jewelry, inlays of plastic buttons and body scarifications. The satin surface offers colored highlights of blue or yellow.
Very slight cracks, minor abrasions.
br>The Idoma live at the confluence of the Bénué and the Niger. Their art mixes Igbo, Cross River and Igala influences and it is often difficult to distinguish them from their neighbors. Royal lineage members of their oglinye society, ...

This cephalomorphic cup was intended for palm oil. In the kuba groups, a wide variety of these sculptures with figurative motifs are intended to enhance the prestige of their bearer. The edges are fine and regular.
Velvety patina.


The extremely organized and hierarchical Kuba society placed a king or nyim at its center, inspiring the statuary of the ethnic group.
This was considered to be of divine origin. Both head of the kingdom and of the bushoong chiefdom, he was attributed supernatural virtues from witchcraft or ancestors. He therefore ensured the sustainability of his subjects, whether through harvests, rain or the birth of children. These magical attributes were not hereditary, however, as the king was elected by a council.
Source: Kuba, ed. ...

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 ...

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 ...