African Arts Gallery

Belgian collection of African art
This African mask of Mbuya initiation is decorated with a basketwork headdress and raffia canvas. Its patina results from a mixture of ocher bark and palm oil.
This mask comes from the collection of Monsieur Urbain, collector and expert in Pende art.
The western Pende are found on the banks of the Kwilu, while the eastern Pende are established on the banks of the Kasai downstream of Tshikapa. Their large tribal art sculpture is infused with influences from neighboring ethnic groups such as the Mbla, Suku, Wongo, Leele, Kuba and Salempasu. Among this artistic diversity, the Mbuya masks, realistic and produced every ten years, have a festive function and embody a variety of characters difficult to discern without their costume. Among ...

Collection of BelgianAfrican art, the name will be communicated to the buyer.
This African initiation mask, Mbuya, comes from the Pende of the West, where the Yaka influence is notable through the slightly upturned nose, and the line of the eyebrows recalls the features of the neighboring Chokwe. This mask symbolizes the masculine and feminine qualities of the leader. The Western Pende are established on the banks of the Kwilu, while the Eastern Pende reside on the banks of the Kasai downstream of Tshikapa. Their tribal sculpture is marked by the influence of neighboring ethnic groups such as Mbla, Suku, Wongo, Leele, Kuba and Salempasu.
Within this cultural diversity, the Mbuya masks, realistic and produced every ten years, have a festive function. They embody different ...

African statuette depicting a founding ancestor and mythical hero, Chibinda Ilunga, wearing the chipangula, an attribute of chiefs. The chiefs had a major function in the propitiation rites intended for hunting and the fertility of women.

Peacefully settled in eastern Angola until the 16th century, the Chokwé were then subject to the Lunda empire from which they inherited a new hierarchical system and the sacredness of power. Three centuries later, they ended up seizing the capital of the Lunda weakened by internal conflicts, thus contributing to the dismantling of the kingdom. The Chokwé did not have centralized power but large chiefdoms. It was they who attracted artists wishing to put their know-how at the exclusive service of the court. The artists created so many ...

Ex-Belgian collection of African art African statuette associated with the ancestor and mythical hero, founder of the ethnic group, Chibinda Ilunga. The head, with oversized palms and feet, has a noble headdress with curved side wings (cipenya-mutwe), wicker frame covered with fabric, brass, leather, and pearls. The chief had taught his people the art of hunting.
Brilliant nuanced brown patina, erosions and desiccation cracks.
The Tschokwe, of Bantu culture, had established themselves in eastern Angola, but also in the Congo and Zambia. Following different alliances, they mingled with the Lunda who taught them hunting. Their social organization also affected Tschokwe society. The Tschokwe, however, ended up dominating the Lunda, whose kingdom was dismantled at the end of ...

This statuette, symbol of power, would feature the mythical ancestor founder of the ethnic group, Chibinda Ilunga wearing his impressive adornment. This type of figure, represented without the hunter's accessories, is called mwanangana (chief statue). Easily recognizable by this ample headdress with curved side fins (cipenya-mutwe), he had taught his people the art of hunting. Skate rather clear, dull, abraded. Slight cracks.
Paisiblely 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 sanctity of power. Nevertheless, the Chokwé never fully embraced these new social and political contributions. Three centuries later, they eventually seized the capital of the Lunda, ...

African masks Lwalwa, Lwalu.
It is near the Kasai River that the Lwalwa live, between Angola and Zaire. Historically having a matrilineal society, the Lwalwa, after being influenced luba and songye, adopted a patrilineal system within their rudimentary political and social organization. The male mask nkaki, nkaaki, carved from wood mulela, is one of four types of masks produced by the privileged caste formed by their sculptors. These craftsmen, according to their merits, can become conductors and organize dances, including the balango, during which acrobatics are performed by young dancers. These masks are then displayed, or worn during initiation ceremonies, or to soothe the spirits after an unsuccessful hunt.
A conical hairstyle painted with geometric patterns overcomes a ...

The result of cooperation between the nganga, the sculptor and the client, this African statuette songye was loaded with bishimba elements and accessories intended to reinforce its action. Brown patina, cracks and losses.
The fetish Songye, protective sculpture Nkisi, nkishi (pl. mankishi), plays the role of mediator between gods and men. The large specimens are the collective property of an entire village, the smaller figures belong to an individual or a family. In the 16th century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle in Kasai, Katanga and South Kivu. Their history is inseparable from that of the Luba, to whom they are related through common ancestors.

British Traditional African Art Collection.
Among the wide range of Songye sculptures, details distinguish this Songye statuette such as the horn inserted into the head at the tip, and the tiny metal crown at the top. The magic power of the bankishi, (sing. Nkishi) is supposed to be reinforced thanks to the addition of accessories, talismans, metallic elements, seeds, shells. The abdominal cavity is filled with a magical charge that can be made up of therapeutic ingredients. Glossy patina, desication cracks.
In the 16th century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle on the left bank of the Lualaba. Their society is organized in a patriarchal way. Their history is inseparable from that of the Luba to which they are related through common ancestors.
Very ...

Borrowing the traditional posture of Songye fetishes, this Nkishi statuette however differs in its morphology. The “bishimba” charge would be housed at the top. Glossy patina. Desiccation cracks, gaps.
The Songye fetish, magical sculpture Nkisi , nkishi (pl. mankishi), plays among the Songye the role of mediator between gods and men. The large examples are the collective property of an entire village, the smaller figures belonging to an individual or a family. In the 16th century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle in Kasai, Katanga and South Kivu. 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 made it possible to ...

Ex-French collection of African art Deprived of the summit horn, this African statuette Nkisi, nkishi (pl. mankishi ) offers a face with the features of traditional bifwebe masks. Satin patina. Erosions.
The Nkisi plays the role of mediator between gods and men. Large examples are the collective property of an entire village, the most modest belong to an individual or a family. In the 16th century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle on the left bank of the Lualaba. Their society is organized in a patriarchal manner. Their history is inseparable from that of the Luba to whom they are related through common ancestors.
Very present in their society, divination made it possible to discover sorcerers and to shed light on the causes of the misfortunes that struck ...

Fruit of the hollowed out and dried calabash tree, surmounted by a sculpted bust evoking a monkey, and whose base is trimmed with a leather fringe.
Abrasions, losses. The Makonde of northern Mozambique and southern Tanzania wore helmet masks called lipiko during initiation ceremonies for young people. The Makonde venerate an ancestor, which explains the abundance of naturalistic female statuary. Besides the African face masks worn during mapiko dances and ngoma ceremonies that educate young people about the demands of marriage and life family, the Makonde also produce body masks featuring the female bust. Young Makonde boys and girls must submit to a period of seclusion of about six months, during which they are taught songs, dances and practical activities. The rules of behavior ...

In southeastern Nigeria, the Igbo worship a considerable number of deities known as alusi, or agbara intermediaries to whom sacrifices such as kola nuts , money, kaolin, are granted in order to enjoy their favors. These sculptures produced in several regions range from about forty centimeters to human size. The sculptors turn out to be men, but the female followers very often contribute by completing the work using colored pigments. Hairstyle and integumentary ornaments also indicate the social rank of the character with the haughty posture, in this case a man with a round face, presenting a miniature subject evoking an infant. Chipped polychrome patina. Desication cracks and deep erosions. These statues are presented to the public only during annual ceremonies. During the year, they ...

French African art collection
This female bust, which embodies a spiritual medium, has a flat face bordered by a tiara and an ample concave circular headdress. Therapeutic and magical substances were placed in the cupule at the top. The attitude, hands on breasts, indicates that the secrets of royalty (the bizila) belong to women thanks to their role as political and spiritual intermediaries. Satin black patina. Lack.
The Luba (Baluba in Chiluba) are a people of Central Africa. Their cradle is Katanga, more precisely the region of the Lubu river, thus the name (Baluba, which means “the Lubas”). They were born from a secession of the Songhoy ethnic group, under the leadership of Ilunga Kalala who killed the old king Kongolo who has since been revered in the form of a ...

African sculpture Yela featuring two faceted characters standing back to back, separating from the bust, and of which two massive blocks form the feet. The heads, cut in diamond, have just incised features.
The province of Lualaba had several close ethnic groups with similar associations. The Mbole and the Yela are known for their statues embodying, according to D. Biebuck, hanged men, named ofika. The lilwa , an association with dogmatic initiation rites, used to judge and sentence to hanging those guilty of violations of the imposed rules. These offenses ranged from murder to adultery to breaking the secrecy surrounding the lilwa. Dishonored, the bodies of the condemned enjoyed no funeral and were buried in the forest. It was during the ceremonies at the end of the initiation, ...

African statuette in bronze alloy representing a character whose body seems to bend under the weight of the children held around his bust. The ears are traditionally distended. The statuette also bears concentric scarifications.
Golden patina, residual dark inlays.

The Vere , Verre , Were, Duru-Verre, or Dii, live in northeastern Nigeria, in the state of Adamawa (formerly Gongola), and in northern Cameroon. This very small population lives in circular huts grouped together in fortified villages.
The Vere statuettes, whose function remains unknown, are rare, and present analogies with the works produced by the Mumuye, their close neighbors established between Nigeria and Cameroon.

This figurative fetish statuette is said to be a divinatory fetish object. It would be of Tussia origin, Senoufo sub-group of Burkina-Faso. Irregular greenish-grey granular patina
. The Senoufos, the name given to them by the French colonists, are mainly composed of farmers who are scattered between Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso. Councils of elders, led by an elected chief, administer Senufo villages. Governed by matrilineal traditions, they are composed of clusters of dwellings named katiolo. Each has its own Poro association that initiates young boys from the age of seven in a succession of three cycles lasting seven years . They gather in a sacred enclosure called sinzanga located near the village, among the trees. Upon the death of one of the Poro members, ...

Deep facial mask, wearing a headdress surmounted by horns, and whose flat tint, under a prominent forehead, is streaked with juxtaposed areas. The look, deeply lodged under the arches, is limited to thin incisions just like the mouth. The nose is thick, short, shared with a rib. Height on base: 47 cm.
Brown satin patina, discreet polychrome highlights.
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 diverse sculpture is marked by the influence of the groups living in contact with them: in the North, their art was subject to the influence of the populations of the forest such as the Mongo, to the northwest that of the Nkutschu, ...

Singular African statuette whose anatomy is feminine but whose head represents a chief from the Moxico region, wearing the chipangula cheffale. The chiefs indeed had a major function in the propitiation rites intended for hunting and the fertility of women. Applications of castor oil and coloring plant decoctions were generally applied to Chokwe sculptures.
Glossy patina, minor cracks.

Peacefully settled in eastern Angola until the 16th century, the Chokwé were then subject to the Lunda empire from which they inherited a new hierarchical system and the sacredness of power. Three centuries later, they ended up seizing the capital of the Lunda weakened by internal conflicts, thus contributing to the dismantling of the kingdom. The Chokwé did not have centralized power ...