African Arts Gallery

Three types of African masks represent the three ranks of the Salampasu men's society: warriors, chiefs and hunters. All have a bulbous front under which are enshrined in narrow slits between which points an imposing triangular nose. The mouth opens on to teeth cut into spikes, which are shown here by metal spikes. The decorative use of copper and brass, in the form of a small circular headdress and the insertion of cabochons and upholstery nails, embellishes this copy which is divided into two contrasting tones, which helps to offer a sure vision. Eroded contours on the back of the mask. Living from hunting and agriculture, a warrior people, the Salampasu form a tribe of the Lulua group and are settled between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola, east of the Kasai River. They are ...

Ex-Swiss African art collection.
In place of the magic charge U-002bibilongo" located on the abdomen, this naturalistic Kongo effigy has this time a protrusion adorned with a pattern forming a female sex. The distortion of the mouth evoking pain, it is probably a mediating figure, protective, therapeutic or associated with circumcision. The patina combining different shades of brown has acquired a satin feel. Desication grooves. The magic ingredients "bilongo" were frequently concealed in the receptacle on the abdomen of the face, which was otherwise sealed by a mirror. The sorcerers nganga, both healers, were in charge of religious activities and mediation with the God called Nzambi through consecrated figures. Aggressive witchcraft kindoki is the absolute evil that must be ...

African art Gouro.
Among the group of Mande of the south, in central Côte d'Ivoire, the Gouro have been using a family of African masks associated with the dance Zaouli since the 1950s. Like the Goli masks of the Baoulé, all Guro masks come in two zoomorphic masks followed by a third anthropomorph, which is considered the wife of the mask zamblé , the Gu . The Gu , whose function is apotropaic, represents a young woman with the criteria of beauty specific to Guro, especially facial scarifications and lime teeth. The zaouli incarnate a mature man with a beard represented by raffia cords attached to the lower perforations of the mask contours. The Zamblé, on the other hand, embodies a bush animal, usually an antelope. The forehead occupies three-quarters of the top volume of this ...

Lega primitive sculptures in African art. Mask used by Kwame , Kweme , a Lega subgroup living in North Kivu province with similar societies and rites. With asymmetrical eyes, it also has a mouth with bulging contours, punctures in the ears, and a dotted decoration. The double border on the face is very unusual. It indicated the stage reached within the Bwami, a learning society composed of different ranks, and joined by the wives whose spouses had reached the third level, that of the ngandu. Locally abraded glossy patina. H. on pedestal: 42 cm.

Belle patina nuanced golden brown. Residual kaolin inlays.

At the Lea, the society of the Bwami open to men and women, organized social and political life. There were up to seven levels of initiation, each associated with ...

This fragment of luba sculpture offers a head without hairstyle, and details such as fingers at the ears. The figure was probably depicted crouching, arms folded on either side of the face, hands resting on the ears. These attitudes were those of dignitaries in familiar conversations. Erosions, dark grainy patina.
High on a base: 29 cm.

Luba settled mainly in the Upemba Valley and along the banks of the Lualaba.royal.This type of protective figures offering a meditative appearance would embody an ancestor communicating with the guardian spirits, 'mvidye', intermediaries between the spiritual world and individuals, and can also embody the spirits of nature among the Luba of Kasai and also the first soothsayer Luba. King Luba mulopwe dedunate his powers partially to local ...

African art Kuba.
-Coiffe consisting of raffia textile with a rigid circular frame. symbolizing wealth and fertility.
The Kuba and the tribes established between the Sankuru and Kasai rivers, including the Bushoong and Dengese also from the Mongo group, are renowned for the refinement of the prestigious objects created for members of the high ranks of their society. Several Kuba groups produced anthropomorphic ceremonial objects with refined motifs, including cuts, drinking horns and cups. The Kuba, whose name means Lightning also produced African tools and weapons, including jet knives, which eventually became transaction values, and heavy war swords, Ilwoon. The Kuba kingdom was founded in the 16th century by the Bushoong which are still ruled by a king today. It is the most ...

Incorporating the category of soothsayer masks, this African introductory mask, Mbuya , embodies a woman soothsayer Nganga Ngombo, according to the marks on the forehead and cheeks. It expresses the feminine and masculine qualities of the soothsayer woman, thanks to a developed sensory acuity. The face is embellished with a headdress made of basketry, canvas, and vegetable fibers. The patina is the result of a mixture of red ochre bark and palm oil.
The Western Pende live on the banks of the Kwilu, while the Easterners have settled on the banks of the Kasai river downstream of Tshikapa. The influences of the neighbouring ethnic groups, Mbla, Suku, Wongo, Leele, Kuba and Salempasu, were imprinted on their large tribal art sculpture. Within this diversity the Mbuya, realistic, ...

Ceremonial mask related to the society of warriors and initiation rites, it was also exhibited at funerals, in connection with the previous initiations of the deceased, and for remuneration in many cases. The power of some masks is also so feared that their name alone can cause women and children to flee. These masks are distinguished by their bulbous forehead, wide nose and mouth revealing cut teeth. Grey-brown velvety patina, locally abraded.
Shunting and farming, warrior people, the Salampasu form a tribe of the Lulua group and are settled between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola, east of the Kasai River. They are surrounded to the west and south of the Tschokwe and Lunda, and to the north and east of Kete and Lwalwa. A hierarchy of masks, simple wooden masks kasangu ...

An ovoid head with exorbitant eyes engulfed in a stocky bust, hands gathered in front of the bust. This African sculpture featuring a small chubby figure, who does not obey the traditional canons, was however collected in Cameroon in 1984. Straw obstructs the dorsal cavity into which therapeutic or magical ingredients were probably introduced. Made of wood, a thick, crusty, cracked patina covers it completely.
Despite their small number, the thirty thousand Mambila (or Mambilla, Mambere, Nor, Torbi, Lagubi, Tagbo, Tongbo, Bang, Ble, Juli, Bea) (the " men" , in fulani), settled in northwestern Cameroon, on both sides of the border of Cameroon and Nigeria, have created a large number of masks and statues easily identifiable by their heart-shaped faces. Although the Mambila believe in ...

This African Igbo mask called Ikorodo in the Nsukka region of southern Nigeria glorifies youth and beauty, with narrow slits for the eyes, a face with white-haired features, scarifications and tattoos. The headdress here is composed of shells and thick braids falling sideways. The white color of the mask agbo-gho-mmwo refers to ancestral spirits, these masks frequently accompanying the deceased during funeral rites. Indeed, mmwo means " spirit of the dead", and especially of young girls, although it is worn by young men in order to honor the spirit of the earth. Abrasions, crusty white patina.
The Igbo live in the forest in southeastern Nigeria. They managed to associate a deep sense of individuality with an equally strong sense of belonging to the group. Their political system is ...

Mermaid figures in African art


The cult of Mami Wata, a female genius associated with the sea, spread from Ghana and throughout West Africa. This type of sculpture, born in the 1930s, is called Yombofisa, Signal or Tiyambo in the Sitem. Yombofisa, according to David Berliner, is distinguished by a braided hairstyle adhering to the skull, and a mermaid body. Also known Yobo-fissa among the Baga Forè, it embodies the goddess of beauty and water, protecting fishermen and their villages. Known in the various groups Baga ("Tambaningo" among the Landuma), she also appears in masks during traditional and festive ceremonies. Glossy patina, golden brown with khaki highlights. Desication cracks and xylophageal damage. Missing object in one of the hands.
Mixed with Nalu and ...

The African art sculptures of the bobo, Bwa, Kurumba and Mossi, living in Burkina Faso, frequently take up and combine stylized elements borrowed from humans, animals or insects. It is the spirits of nature that are supposed to determine the well-being and prosperity of an individual, and adversity will be seen as the result of neglect scars of collective rites. It is therefore during various celebrations that the mask will personify a spirit of nature or that of an ancestor in order to influence the daily life of the members of the ethnic group. They appear to honor the deceased during funeral rites, and to escort souls to the realm of the dead. They also occur during agricultural festivals in order to ensure the progression of the seasons, so during the initiation rites they will ...

Ex-collection English African art.
The Gelede country in Nigeria pays tribute to the mothers, especially the oldest of them, whose powers would be comparable to those of the Yoruba gods, or orisa, and the ancestors, osi and who can be used for the benefit but also for the misfortune of society. In the latter case these women are named aje . Masked ceremonies, through performances using masks, costumes and dances, are supposed to urge mothers to use their extraordinary qualities for a peaceful and constructive purpose, for the good of society. With a long, sharp growth, this polychrome mask has the yoruba characteristics: large globular eyes and jugal scarifications. In rigorously organized ceremonies, each dancer embodies the deity or character designated by the mask he wears. This ...

Ex-French African art collection.
A curved beak-shaped mouth, evoking calao, extends the lower part of this African mask Dan Maou , Mau. With a beard that the ritual coatings have stiffened, this face that borrows the gaze of the race mask zapkei Dan , hesitating between two natures, turns into a zoomorphic piece. This type of composition is recurrent in African tribal statuary. The Dan populations of the north known as Yacouba of Côte d'Ivoire and the Maou de Touba (Maouka), after borrowing them from the mandé people neighbour, use them in secret male ceremonies including the Koma of the Maou . The eyes are surrounded by a thin red cloth that once came from the clothing of Senegalese gunners. Three metal teeth spring from the mouth. The parallel grooves surrounding the contours of ...

The African art of the Bangwa, sub-ethnic Bamileke, in the African art of the Grasslands of Cameroon
Residual inlays of "Pe" , a mixture of palm oil and paduk wood, blood-red wood some of which are smeared during the ceremonies of rejoicing, and which, after being grated, is kept in carved wooden containers, alternate with a crusty matte patina. Protruding features make up an expressive appearance, characteristic of the Bangwa village. Indigenous repair. The Bamoun live in an area that is both full of wooded reliefs but also savannahs. This large territory called Grassland in southwestern Cameroon is also home to other close ethnic groups such as the Bamiléké and Tikar. Stylistically, one feels the influence of this interethnic promixmity by common traits on the pieces of art, such ...

Ex-belgian African art collection.
Identifiable by its context of use, this male statue belonged to an insider of the Bwami and was part of a set used during the initiations. She could only be seen at that time. The teacher guided the aspirant to a place where masks and statuettes were exhibited, and it was through careful observation that the future initiate had to guess the more or less complex meaning of these objects, real metaphors referring to largely to proverbs and sayings. Those who were not allowed to see the object, in order to be protected, had to submit to expensive ceremonies, and sometimes even join the lower rank of the Bwami, the kongabulumbu , at great expense to the families. Each of these initiations took place over seven days and included at least seven ...

Ex-collection Belgian African art.

Due to the expansion of the former Jukun Empire, the Jukun or Wurbo of Nigeria split into two groups: one established south of the Donga River and the second north of the region near Mumuye. and Wurkum. The attacks of the Chamba first, then of the Fulani, contributed to the extinction of this kingdom. Their king Aka uku, considered semi-diviner, is also their intermediary with the royal ancestors, through rituals including the sacrifice of the king in case of plague or bad harvest. The southern Jukun have a tradition of masks, including the akuma male mask associated with the cult of the same name and of which four types were listed by A.Rubin. They are often endowed with horns evoking the ram or the antelope, in connection with the cult ...

The coronation of marriage in African art.
Great Fali engagement doll, the Fali living in North Cameroon, but also on the border of Nigeria and Chad.
Around a wooden structure, the doll is entirely trimmed with a multitude of multicolored pearl necklaces depicting the body and braided hair.
The arms are made of leather straps with the ends decorated with cauris.
This type of African fetish doll is carried like a child, in the back of the young woman. and is offered to her among others present by her fiancé who chooses the sex.
It is therefore a guarantee of marriage and the hope of starting a family. The young woman will take care of the doll until the birth of the first child, then separate from it
The size and weight of the doll reinforce the bride's ...