African Arts Gallery

The African statues associated with the Byeri cult, anthropomorphic sculptures embodying the ancestor, act as "guardians" of the relics.
The bulging pupils, encrusted with metal, indicate a state of trance.
Dark matte patina, cracks, chips and erosions.

Among the Fang of Cameroon and 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 topped with a statue or a head that acted as guardian of the "byeri" boxes. These were kept in a dark corner of the hut, and were intended to divert evil influences to someone else. They were also used during initiation ceremonies for young people linked to the "So" society. During ...

Ex.Belgian collection of African art
This type of Fang sculpture embodying a prestigious ancestor was enthroned on reliquary baskets. Abraded patina, erosions and desiccation cracks.
Among the Fang of Cameroon and 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 topped with a statue or a head that acted as guardian of the "byeri" boxes. They were also used during initiation ceremonies for young people linked to the "So" society. The term Angokh nlo byeri means "head only of the ancestor", as opposed to statues. During the festivals, the statues were separated from their boxes and carried on parade, brandished like puppets.

Equipped with zoomorphic attributes linked to the antelope or duinker, the main game of the kwele region, this African mask Kwele Pipibuze, Pipibudze, ( "the man") symbolizes the light and clairvoyance required to overcome witchcraft. The horns meet here under the chin, surrounding the face. This type of mask was not always intended to be worn, but adorned the walls of the huts. Velvety two-tone patina, drying cracks and abrasions.
Depending on the presence of horns and their arrangement, the masks are called pibibudzé, Ekuku zokou, etc...and are associated with ancestors or forest spirits, "ekuk". 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 ...

Ex-French collection of African art African mask Kwele Pipibuze, Pipibudze, ("the man") referring to the antelope or duinker, the main game of the kwele region. This type of mask was not always intended to be worn, but adorned the walls of the huts. Abraded patina, minor gaps.
Depending on the presence of horns and their arrangement, the masks are called pibibudzé, Ekuku zokou, etc...and are associated with ancestors or forest spirits, "ekuk". 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 used at the end of the ceremonies in ...

African art among the Fang.

Formerly called Pahouins, the Fang form a very large ethnic group settled, following migrations, in Central Africa, in the three republics of Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. Barrel-shaped, this mask offers faces with joined eyebrows. At the top, a cruciform crest refers to the hairstyle worn by the Fang. Linked to the cult of ancestors, the Byéri, this mask was responsible for discerning troublemakers, especially sorcerers. It comes out nowadays for entertainment festivals. It also appears now during festivals, funerals, birth celebrations, and on the occasion of an important decision within the village. It was also worn by the Fang men Okak and Ntoumou, Ntumu, from Equatorial Guinea during a dance associated with the cult of the Byeri. It ...

Ex-Belgian collection of African art African mask whose surface bears deep streaks alternating red ocher and black pigments. These broad bands could correspond to the group's ritual paintings. Reduced features are uncommon. Grainy matte patina.
The Tetela and Yela groups are of Mongo origin and are neighbors. Tetela sculpture takes varied forms, borrowed from the clans they live with, including Songye inspirations with polychrome works. Several ethnic groups divided into lineages live closely together in the center of Zaire: the Mbole, the Yela, the Lengola, and the Metoko, and have similar associations. This proximity has generated certain stylistic borrowings. Their artistic production indeed presents great analogies with that of the Metoko and the Lengola. Their divination ...

Turkana neckrest from Kenya established on a circular base, decorated with a braided handle and endowed with a deep lustrous golden mahogany patina. Its sufficiently wide tray also made it possible to sit down. Although it comes from traditional African art, its refined shapes give it a contemporary design.
These objects were initially intended to protect the elaborate hairstyles of their owner (man or woman) during the night. But among the Turkana, it is the emblem of the tenderness of the fiancé for his bride, a pledge of union in the same way as an engagement ring.
Over time, the creation becoming more complex until they became real little masterpieces of sculpture, they also became individual objects of prestige and power, placed on family or collective altars.
Desiccation ...

Small drum with handles whose skin-tight resonance box is made of terracotta. The lacing is made of leather and wicker strips. Old piece, marks of use. Scattered throughout 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.

Minimalism for this anthropomorphic figure in black iron. Rusty patina. The populations of the same cultural region, grouped under the name " lobi", form a fifth of the inhabitants of Burkina Faso. Few in number in Ghana, they have also settled in the north of Ivory Coast. It was at the end of the 18th century that the Lobi, coming from Northern 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, whom they address through the worship of many intermediary spirits, the Thil. Various sacred altars are erected around the Lobi houses. The sanctuary of the family home is called the Thildu, where tribal sculptures of wood, iron or brass, statues of ancestors and batebas are grouped.

Old Mossi whistle used for hunting, streaked with linear patterns. Warm brown patina with a sheen. The Mossi are a people native to Burkina Faso and the border regions of the surrounding countries. More than five million people consider themselves Mossi, membership in this ethnic community being based on the practice of Moré and the practice of a certain number of traditions. In the 15th and 16th centuries, they formed large kingdoms, the two main ones (Yatenga and Ouagadougou) of which remained independent until European penetration and were only subdued with difficulty by the French colonizers. Animists, the Mossi worship a creator god named Wendé . Each individual is said to have a soul, sigha , linked to a totemic animal.

Rare Budja crest or crest accompanied by its facial mask, the stylized crests being associated with mythical animals and birds. These abstract masks are used to promote hunting or for agrarian ceremonies. 300 km to the southeast, similar models were used by the Ngbaka during initiation and circumcision ceremonies called Gaza kola (initiation of the forest). Height on base: 73 cm.
A Bantu people originating from the upper part of the Itimbiri River in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Mbuza, Budja, or Budzas, occupy the forest region of Mongala, mainly around Bumba. They are related to the Banda groups of the Central African Republic (Togbo, Banda, ...) with whom they share different beliefs and traditions.

The caryatid "receptacle of a deceased sovereign chief" ( Luba, Roberts) supporting the top of this stool-pedestal table called lupona , or kioni or kipona, kiona, affirms the political and spiritual role of women in Luba society. This seat once formed the base on which the king mulopwe was enthroned. The African seats were placed on leopard skins during the investiture of the new chief. It was only after sitting on them that his speech took on a royal and divine character. Apart from these exceptional circumstances, the seats were not used and remained stored in secret locations. Patina from black-brown to orange, erosions and desiccation cracks.
The cradle of the Luba (Baluba in Tchiluba) is Katanga, more precisely the region of the Lubu River. Source "Africa, The Art of a ...

Large orbits associated with the owl's perceptive qualities distinguish this African mask. The discreet mouth and nose form tiny projections. These masks appeared during Bwami ceremonies, and during circumcision and initiation rites. Polychrome matte patina.

The Bembe ethnic group is a Luba branch that is said to have left the Congo in the 18th century. Their society and artistic tendency are marked by the influence of neighboring ethnic groups in the Lake Tanganyika region, the Lega, the Buyu, etc. Indeed, like the Lega, the Bembe had a Bwami association responsible for initiation and structuring society, but while the Bwami was exclusive among the Lega, other associations coexisted among the Bembe. Evoking a forest spirit, this tribal mask was kept in sacred caves and was ...

A power figure intended to protect the village, this tribal sculpture offers some of the particularities of Kongo fetishes, with a ventral load in which magical elements were introduced.
The Vili , the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo constituted the Kôngo group, led by the 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 with a codified gesture in relation to their vision of the world.
Dark red-brown patina, erosions.
"...Once the evils and their culprit have been determined, the nganga activates the force of the nkonde by planting a nail or an iron blade, witnesses of the request and especially ...

Sculpture composed of an animal horn loaded with fetish materials, topped with a head representing the mythical ancestor Oso. Satin brown patina.
Two totemic clans once formed the Kuyu ethnic group, living along the river of the same name, in the northwest of the People's Republic of Congo: in the West, that of the panther, and in the East, that of the snake. A secret male association, Ottoté, played an important political role in the nomination of chiefs. The initiation of young people ended with the revelation of the snake god Ebongo represented in the form of a head. The Kibe-kibe dances that accompanied the ceremony reactivated the successive stages of creation. The panther clan had a drum as its emblem. For its part, the snake clan had sculpted heads, painted in bright colors, ...

Gelede mask depicting a face surmounted by a horseman on his mount. In Nigeria, also in Benin, this type of African mask is used during the joyful dances of the Gelede society, and on the occasion of the funerals of its followers. These masks often illustrate proverbs and are produced in pairs, each with a specific name. Grainy matte patina, small accidents.
The Gelede country in Nigeria pays homage to mothers, especially the oldest among them, whose powers are said to be comparable to those of the Yoruba gods, or orisa, and ancestors, osi and who can be used for the benefit but also for the misfortune of society. In the latter case these women are called aje. The masked ceremonies, through performances using masks, costumes and dances, are meant to urge mothers to use their ...

The African masks of the Yombe, very naturalistic, were used by the diviner nganga diphoba and by members of secret societies.
This type of mask, of which there are different variants, would be called Khimba, according to Marc Léo Félix. Two-tone patina, abrasions, shine.
Height on base: 29 cm.
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 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 ...

Former French collection of American tribal art Witnesses to the traditions of the Hopi Indian peoples of Arizona, the Katsinam sculpted objects (song. Kachina) are used during traditional dances organized for the annual festivals in favor of rain. This Hopi-type mask, flanked by mobile ears and a bird "beak", is topped with Katsinam statuettes representing masked dancers. Polychrome matte patina, abrasions and small accidents.

African Art Dogon
Insignia of power carved with figures in high relief. The subjects refer to Dogon mythologies and cults. Oiled brown patina, missing parts.
The Dogon are a people renowned for their cosmogony, their myths and legends, living in the southwest of the Niger bend in the Mopti region of Mali and part of the North of the The villages are often perched on top of scree on the hillsides, according to a unique architecture. The history of the migrations and settlements of the Dogon (about ten main groups, about fifteen different languages), is based on several hypotheses. For some historians, the Dogon fled from an area located to the west of their current location, following an aggression. Remains of ancient steel sites on the Bandiagara plateau, dating from the ...

Statue head carved from dense wood, representing a "mujimu" ancestor. Height on base: 30 cm.
Matt brown patina. Cracks.
The Kusu established on the left bank of the Lualaba have borrowed the artistic traditions of the Luba and the Hemba and have a caste system similar to that of the Luba. The Kasongos form a Kusu subgroup, now dispersed among the Luba, Songye and Hemba. The therapeutic figures of the Kasongos, used by healers, were inspired by Songye fetishes. The magic charge, composed of ingredients of various origins, was inserted into the cavity of the head.

African art Kongo.
This type of African mask would have been the prerogative of the nganga, priest-soothsayer. The glazed gaze would reflect mediumistic abilities, which the Kongo believed to promote through the use of hallucinogenic substances. This type of mask was called ngobudi. Abraded matte patina, cracks from drying.
Height on base: 54 cm.
These mediator masks, also present in initiatory processes, were used by fetishists during healing rituals. At the same time, they also served to identify individuals who, through their actions, could disrupt the harmony of the community. In the 13th century, the Kongo people, led by their king Ne Kongo, settled in a region at the crossroads between present-day DRC, Angola and Gabon. The "ntotela" king controlled the ...