Traditional Kongo sculpture, this statuette embodies the ancestor of the clan, a mediating figure, as evidenced by the scarifications of the bust. The child would embody the matrilineal transmission of power. The Yombe adorned their textiles, mats and loincloths, with lozenges related to proverbs glorifying work and social unity. The mouth reveals filed teeth, the gaze indicates the grandmother's ability to discern occult things. The use of this type of sculpture remains unknown. They frequently formed the carved pattern at the top of chiefs' canes. Satin black patina. Minor abrasions. 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. ...
View details Pfemba figure
280.00 140.00 €
This African mask, of Vili inspiration, takes elements from the white masks of the Punu. At the top, the end of what was a hairstyle divided into shells. The face has checkerboard keloids. Abraded matte patina. 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. Most of them are now urbanized, but they still belong to traditional associations that depend 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 association Ndunga or Djembe, but also for the funerals of dignitaries and during ...
View details Vili mask
Embodiment of the king in the sculpture of African art Kuba. Of divine origin for his subjects, the king is represented sitting cross-legged on the royal platform, unable to touch the ground. Both head of the kingdom and of the bushoong chieftaincy, "nyim", supernatural abilities derived from sorcery or the ancestors were attributed to him. He was therefore responsible for the survival of his subjects, whether it was through the harvests, the rain or the birth of children. However, these magical attributes were not hereditary. Brown satin patina. During the last days of the king's life, the memorial statue was placed at his bedside so that it would capture his vital energy as the object would outlive him. According to Cornet (1982), these statues were intended for ...
View details Kuba figure
240.00 120.00 €
This African mask embodying the god Alunga was used during the tribal ritual of the male Kalunga society, Alunga, exercising social control over the clan , and responsible for the public dances and ceremonies preceding the hunt. Evocation of a spirit of the forest, this mask was kept in the sacred caves and it was during festivals associated with hunting and ancestor cults that it was exhibited. Grainy patina, cracks and gaps at the top. The Bembe ethnic group is a Luba branch that left the Congo in the 18th century. Their society and artistic tendency are marked by the influence of their neighbors 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 ...
View details Bembe mask
190.00 90.00 €
African art has two types of Azande statues: The Kudu statues, which are between 30 and 50 cm high, represent ancestors, and the Yanda statues of 10 to 20 cm, in animal or human form, having an apotropaic role, exhibited during the divinatory rites during the rituals of the Mani society. Small female figure established on strong crenellated legs, which has a slender bust, framed by rounded arms. The sunken pupils are lodged under horizontal eyebrows, the simply hollowed-out mouth forms a slight grin. The character wears a toque-type cap. Glossy dark patina revealing the grain of the wood. Formerly referred to as "Niam-Niam" because they were considered cannibals, the tribes grouped under the name of Zande, Azandé, settled from Chad on the border of the DRC (Zaire), Sudan and ...
View details Zande figure
Traditional statuette, incarnating a clan ancestor or a mythical hero, evoking the Songye and Hemba sculptures. Particularity of the Kusu, the face is prolonged by a long triangular beard. Slightly grainy, velvety surface. Desiccation crack. The Kusu settled on the left bank of the Lualaba have indeed borrowed the artistic traditions of the Luba and the Hemba and possess a caste system similar to that of the Luba . The Hemba on the other hand have settled in southeastern Zaire on the right bank of the Lualaba River. Once under the domination of the Luba , these farmers and hunters practice ancestor worship by means of effigies long attributed to the Luba. In this region, between the Bembe, Boyo, Hemba, Songye and Tetela, ritual objects have been subject to various ...
View details Kusu statue
180.00 90.00 €
Embodiment of the king in African art sculpture. Of divine origin for his subjects, the king is depicted sitting cross-legged on the royal dais, unable to touch the ground. Both head of the kingdom and of the Bushoong chieftaincy, "nyim", supernatural abilities derived from witchcraft or the ancestors were attributed to him. He was therefore responsible for the survival of his subjects, whether it was through the harvests, the rain or the birth of children. However, these magical attributes were not hereditary. Light brown satin patina. Cracks.
View details Kongo statue
Vigorously carved in a light wood, this female figure has summary features. A few gestures were enough to create an expressive statuette, defined by its simplicity. Gilded light wood, velvety surface. Cracks. In the southern coastal region of Tanzania, around Dar-es-Salam, a relatively homogeneous group has produced most of the artistic output. It includes the Swahili, Kaguru, Doé, Kwéré, Luguru, Zaramo, Kami. The second region is formed by a territory covering the south of Tanzania to Mozambique, where some Makonde and Yao, Ngindo, Mwéra, and Makua live. In northeastern Tanzania, the Chaga, Paré, Chamba, Zigua, Maasai, Iraqw, Gogo, and Héhé have an artistic production with similarities to Malagasy and Batak art, which could be explained by trade by sea. The Luo, Kuria, Haya and Ziba, ...
View details Fipa Statuette
190.00 80.00 €
Geometric appearance for a statuette suggesting a certain physical vigor, the musculature of the arms and legs being effectively signified. The powerful bust is notched with signs associated with the group's scarifications. Oiled, golden patina. Among the many carved objects relating to hunting and magic, this protective female statuette, may represent the Ngbirondo spirit acting as guardian of the village. Funeral statues were also used, and sculptures of a couple yangba and his sister, equivalent to the Seto and Nabo ancestors of the Ngbaka. The Ngbaka are a homogeneous people of northwestern D.R.C., south of the Ubangi. The Ngbandi live in the east ( on the left bank of the Ubangi) and the Ngombe in the south. The initiation of youth, ...
View details Ngbandi figure
90.00 €
This stick carved with a cephalomorphic motif, topped by a deep, thickly contoured cup, is part of the figurative insignia of the chief. This prestigious object was used for ritual libations during traditional ceremonies or for the consumption of palm wine. Brown-black satin patina, impressions of use. The Western Pende live on the banks of the Kwilu, while the Eastern have settled on the banks of the Kasai downstream from Tshikapa. The influences of the neighboring ethnic groups, Mbla, Suku, Wongo, Leele, Kuba, and Salempasu have been imprinted on their extensive tribal art sculpture. Within this diversity the Mbuya masks, realistic ,produced every ten years, have a festive function, and embody different characters, including the chief, the diviner and his wife, the prostitute, ...
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In traditional African art, "settlers" are anthropomorphic figurative sculptures of various aspects, frequently representing Westerners. Some elements are constant: costumes of civil servants, religious outfits, soldiers' uniforms, helmets, etc... Expressions of naïve art or social caricatures, they are also usually painted in bright and colorful colors. > 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. According to Hélène Joubert, the cults paid to the Yoruba gods, the orisha , and those of the vodou ,vodun gods, as well as their religious structure, would be comparable in many ways. In addition, slaves from different cultures exported their practices to Cuba and Brazil. Although ...
View details Ewe colon
This type of head ornament is worn on certain occasions by Kuba notables to highlight their wealth and prestige. Particularly careful workmanship characterizes this headdress. A braided skullcap made of natural fibers is stretched over the textile, which is entirely filled with cowrie shells, applied harmoniously, creating a dense and regular network ending in a bouquet at the top. These shells, a barter currency originally imported from the Indian Ocean by Hausa merchants, are a symbol of fertility and abundance. 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 ...
View details Kuba headdress
180.00 95.00 €
Ex-Luxembourg African art collection.A small Songye sculpture, finely detailed and devoid of accessories such as the horn at the top in which the magical ingredients were housed. The abdominal cup is also empty. Patient chocolate satin. The Songye came from the Shaba region of DRC and settled along the Lualaba river in the middle of savannah and forests. Their society is organized in a patriarchal way. Their history is inseparable from that of the Luba to whom they are related through common ancestors. Very present in their society, divination allowed them to discover sorcerers and to shed light on the causes of the misfortunes that befell individuals. They are governed by the yakitengé and by local chiefs. The secret society Bwami counterbalances their power, ...
View details Songye Fetish
Ex-German African art collection.The different types of Luluwa, Lulua, or Bena Lulua statues, presenting multiple scarifications, glorify the local chiefs, maternity, fecundity and the female figure. Figures such as the piece opposite are part of the Buanga bua cibola cult, and are believed to protect children and pregnant women. By the position of the hands, this figure highlights a prominent abdomen, center of the body and "object of all solicitude" ( The power of the sacred , M. Faïk-Nzuji ). Satin brown patina. Lacks, abruptions and cracks of desiccation. It is in the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo that the Lulua , or Béna Lulua ,from West Africa, have settled. Their social structure, based on castes, is similar to that of the Luba. They produced few ...
View details Fetish Lulua
250.00 150.00 €
Ex-collection Belgian African art. Sculpture whose base is damaged, it represents a hermaphrodite being whose hands rest on either side of a bulbous abdomen, into which a magical charge is usually introduced. The statuette without its accessories is capped with a curious pointed cap. Semi-satinized smooth patina. These fetishes of protection intended for housing are among the most prized in Africa. The Nkisi plays the role of mediator between gods and men. The large specimens are the collective property of an entire village, while the smaller figures belong to an individual or a family. In the sixteenth century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle on the left bank of the Lualaba River. Their society is organized in a patriarchal way. Their history is ...
View details Statuette Songye
240.00 150.00 €
African art among the Bambara. Targette Bambara antropomorphic, consisting of two pieces arranged in crosses, the chest, vertical, and the cross, horizontal and equipped with a hollow in which will fit the key. The crossbar is also reinforced with a metal part in the sliding bottom. The locks, usually belonging to women and symbolizing the union of two people, may be offered to them by their husbands on the occasion of a birth or to celebrate the woman's installation with her husband. These are personal belongings that are transmitted to girls and daughters-in-law. Dry, grainy surface. On the base: 65cm. In central and southern Mali, the Bambara , Bamana (c) or unbelievers, as the Muslims have named them, belong to the large Mande group, in the company of the Soninke ...
View details Bambara Lock
180.00 120.00 €
Tribal ancestor sculpture, intermediate between men and gods, endowed with an oversized head and figured in an assured attitude. The shaved skull is bounded by a frontal tiara composed of a succession of bars. The face is decorated with a beard, associated with the wisdom and experience of the grandfather. Usually made in iroko, these ritual sculptures were revered by a particular clan and stored in funeral premises in the chief's house. Oiled dark brown patina, locally abraded. Damaged base. The Hemba, established in southeastern Zaire, on the right bank of the Lualaba, have long been subject to the luba neighbour who had a definite influence on their culture, religion and art. The cult of ancestors, whose effigies have long been attributed to the Luba, is central to the society ...
View details Statuette Hemba
Former African art collection Mercier br-Les Urhobos, living near the northwest of the Niger Delta River, form the main ethnic group of the Delta State among the 36 states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They speak Urhobo, a language of the Niger-Congo group. Together with the Isoko, whose art is close, they are collectively known as Sobo. Their large sculptures depicting the spirits of nature, edjo, or the founding ancestors of the clan, to whom sacrifices were offered, were grouped in shrines within the villages. They also produce figures similar to the ikenga of igbo called iphri , ivwri , of half-animal form half-human. They personify male aggression and are intended for warriors and notables. However, after consultation with the soothsayer, young children can also wear miniature ...
View details Statuette Urhobo
250.00 90.00 €
This figure comes from the Metoko 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, monotheism rare in Africa. This piece, cut in three superimposed orange volumes, would form the embodiment of a primordial ancestor. Their company, Bukota, welcoming both men and women, is the equivalent of the association Bwami Lega. Their sculptures, influenced by the neighbouring Mbole, Lega and Binja, played a role in initiation, funeral or circumcision ceremonies, and were then placed on the tomb of high-ranking initiates. Each of these figures had an educational name and meaning, just like the Lega traditions. The Lekas share with the Metoko the institution of the bukota , for which they have ...
View details Statuette Metoko
This small statuette with an androgynous character has a male face extending with a small beard while a strong chest is associated with fertility. The reduced legs, massive and crenellated, are also one of the characteristics of suku sculptures. The chiefs used fetishes named bwene , bisungu representing the ancestor of the clan. Dark patina, residual clay inlays. Cracks. The Suku and Yaka ethnic groups, very close geographically in the south-west of the Democratic Republic of Congo, have the same social and political structure as well as similar cultural practices. They can only be differentiated by their stylistic variations. Their carved wooden figures, through which they honour their ancestors, and their masks are well known.
View details Statuette Suku
240.00 90.00 €
Established between the Republic of Congo, 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 clan leader, gantsié , retained the great protective fetish tar mantsié who oversaw all the ceremonies. It is the powerful sorcerer healer and soothsayer who wascharged" of magical elements, for retribution, the individual statuettes, "mussassi". It was also according to his instructions that worship was given to the ancestors and geniuses of nature. Their secret society, kidumu , used circular flat masks adorned with polychrome geometric patterns. This fetish with a dorsal orifice ...
View details Scepter Téké