Tribal Art

The Tikar inhabit the western part of central Cameroon which is located within the dense secondary forest of medium altitude, along the Mbam. Within this ecotone, the "tikar plain" (which takes its name from its current occupants) constitutes a depression which leans respectively to the west and to the north to the Mbam massif and to the first foothills of the Adamaoua plateau . From an ethnic point of view, the current boundaries of the Tikar country coincide with those of the Bamun to the west (Foumban), the Mambila to the northwest, the Foulbé to the south, the Babouté to the southeast (Yoko) and small groups individuals (Djenti, etc.) scattered across its borders. The structure of the kingdom is made up of a large chiefdom subdivided into districts: the residences of queens, children ...

African statuette depicting a subject with prominent features including bulbous eyes and a sagittal braid forming a loop. The subject adopts an unusually hunched posture, thumbs together extended forward.
The body is streaked with scarified marks. Chipped brown patina.
The Vere, Verre , Were, Duru-Verre, or even Dii, live in the northeast of Nigeria, in the state of Adamawa (former Gongola), and in the north of Cameroon. This very small population lives in circular huts grouped into 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.

These late sculptures, which were made when the king died, represent an oba whose neck is encircled with multiple necklaces of coral beads. His "oro" headdress is surmounted by an excrescence on which appears the king sitting with his ceremonial sword.
Brown patina, golden reflections.
African art from Benin is described as court art because it is closely associated with the king, known as Oba. The tradition of bronze court objects from the Benin Kingdom dates back to the 14th century. The numerous bronze alloy heads and statues created by the artists of Benin were reserved for the exclusive use of the inhabitants of the royal palace and, more often than not, placed on altars consecrated by each new Oba. These rectangular altars were surmounted by heads, statues, carved ...

Bronze sculptures referring to the primordial ancestors of the Dogon. These African Dogon statues, in bronze, indeed evoke the Nommos, mythical beings at the origin of creation among the Dogon of Mali. Greenish patina.

The Dogon are a people renowned for their cosmogony, their esotericism, their myths and legends. Their population is estimated at around 300,000 souls living in the south-west of the Niger loop in the Mopti region of Mali (Bandiagara, Koro, Banka), near Douentza and part of northern Burkina (north-west of Ouahigouya ). Remains of old steelworks on the Bandiagara plateau, dating from the 15th century, confirm the activity of the blacksmiths. The latter form an endogamous caste among the Dogon called irim They now produce weapons, tools, and also work with ...

The African art of Benin, a court art closely associated with King Oba, dates back to the 14th century. The many bronze alloy heads and statues created by the artists of Benin were reserved for the exclusive use of the inhabitants of the royal palace and placed on altars consecrated by each new Oba. This late, figurative sculpture, reminiscent of those made on the death of sovereigns, also reproduces the "masks-belt pendants" in ivory. The fine-featured face is adorned with elements reproducing the coral bead necklaces and ornaments of the Obas of Benin. This would be Queen Benin named Iyoba Idia.
After the birth of the future king, the queen was "removed" from power and could no longer father. But at the end of the 15th century the Oba Esigie refused to conform to this practice ...

Extract from a Belgian African tribal art collection of 16 pieces representing different subjects.

This zoomorphic sculpture comes from northeastern Nigeria near Lake Chad, around Maiduguri, in the state of Borno, which is currently relatively inaccessible because it is controlled by armed Islamist groups. The dominant language is Kanuri.
It is a rare piece, associated with protective spirits, which was buried in the ground in order to preserve crops from animals or thieves. The Damasaka families, a very little known minority ethnic group in the region, had this type of ritual object. We have no information about them. The sculpture forms a detailed figurative representation of a wild pig. Solid growths of spongy appearance remain on the subject. A verdigris patina ...

African art Dogon
Witness to the bronze sculpture of the Dogons, this subject offers a characteristic slender morphology. The character illustrates a protective ancestor, or a mythical being of Dogon cosmogony. Pretty locally ocher light green patina.
The Dogon are a people renowned for their cosmogony, their myths and legends, living in the south-west of the bend of the Niger in the Mopti region of Mali and part of the north of the The villages are often perched on top of the scree on the side of the hills, according to a unique architecture. The history of Dogon migrations and settlements (about ten main groups, about fifteen different languages) involves several hypotheses. For some historians, the Dogon would have fled from an area west of their current location, ...

Extract from a Belgian African tribal art collection of 17 pieces representing different animals.

This object comes from northeastern Nigeria near Lake Chad, around Maiduguri, in the state of Borno, which is currently relatively inaccessible because it is controlled by armed Islamist groups. The dominant language is Kanuri.
It is a rare piece, associated with protective spirits, which was buried in the ground in order to preserve crops from animals or thieves. The Damosaka families, a very little known minority ethnic group in the region, had this type of ritual object. We have no information about them. The sculpture forms a detailed figurative representation of a frog offering realistic proportions. A solid, spongy-looking growth remains on the subject's back. A ...

The mastery of bronze in African art.

This exceptional and ancient piece depicts a Portuguese settler.
This figure carrying in the right hand what appears to be a firecracker and in the left hand a shackle (open bronze ring) testifies to the importance of the Portuguese for the Oba, king of the ethnic group, and the dominant class of the Kingdom Benin in the 16th century century.
Indeed, the tremendous increase in imports of metal in the form of shackles, used as a bargaining chip, provided bronze craftsmen with huge quantities of raw material for their works and contributed greatly to the economic boom. Benin.
The Portuguese is therefore presented here as a provider of wealth.
In the 16th century, they played a major role at the oba court: they ...

Master bronze smiths in African art .
. Gan bronzes, metal objects melted by the blacksmith using the lost wax technique, form individual protective fetishes. They embody a sacred mythical animal whose role was crucial for man, and are declined in the motifs of the turtle, chameleon, crocodile or panther. Some, composing the royal regalia, were placed in shrines.

This zoomorphic pendant, a protective jewel, figures a lion devouring its prey. Khaki brown patina with golden reflections. Neighboring people of the Lobi in southwestern Burkina Faso, the Gan or Kaa (Kaaba pl.), form a "relic people" according to Madeleine Père, living within a wooded savanna. Their king "Gan Massa" is elected by the notables from different villages. Hypotheses diverge as to their origins. ...

Extract from a Belgian African tribal art collection of 17 pieces representing different animals.

This object comes from northeastern Nigeria near Lake Chad, around Maiduguri, in the state of Borno, which is currently relatively inaccessible because it is controlled by armed Islamist groups. The dominant language is Kanuri.
It is a rare piece, associated with protective spirits, which was buried in the ground in order to preserve crops from animals or thieves. The Damosaka families, a very little known minority ethnic group in the region, had this type of ritual object. We have no information about them. The sculpture forms a detailed figurative representation of a wild pig offering realistic proportions. A spongy-looking growth remains on the subject's back. A ...

These sticks with a figurative pattern forming the Edan, carved in bronze, were worn as a pendant around the neck by members of the Ogboni society. Khaki brown patina, traces of oxidation. Height on base: 25 cm.
The Ogboni or Oshugbo secret society is one of the most famous Yoruba religious worship societies. Some have suggested that the feminine and masculine representations could allude to the sky as a male entity and to the earth symbolizing femininity, or to the founding couple of human society. Although some Ogboni works are made of wood, terracotta, or ivory, the majority are made of iron-reinforced brass, which has a connection with Osun, the goddess of the river and fertility. Iron is also sacred to Osun, god of tools and weapons. The Ogboni expression, "Ogbodirin" means ...

Among Kongo chiefs in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the crucifix stood as a symbol of power and authority among chieftaincy regalia. A ceremony at the investiture of the chief required that the future ruler receive from the hands of a dignitary, in a codified ritual, a nkangi kiditu . This badge of power, inspired by ancient Christian crucifixes imported by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century, could also have a therapeutic function, and, in addition to various uses, was brandished at funeral ceremonies during which the object was subjected to libations of oil or palm wine.
The cross would not be a motif specific to the Christian world, as the Kongo considered the four branches to ...

Wearing a fishnet that was made from coral beads, this late type head represents a dignitary from Benin. A symbol of wealth, this coral reserved for kings and dignitaries of the palace had to be regularly anointed with the blood of victims in order to acquire magical power. Dark patina, ocher reflections.
The many bronze heads and statues created with lost wax by the craftsmen of Benin were reserved for the exclusive use of the inhabitants of the royal palace and, most often, placed on altars consecrated by each new oba, king of the ethnic group. . These rectangular altars were surmounted by heads, statues, carved ivory tusks, bells and staves. The Oba commemorated was thereby subject to offerings in order to come into contact with his spirit. Another tradition also evokes the ...

Object from northeastern Nigeria near Lake Chad, around Maiduguri, in the relatively inaccessible Borno state because it is controlled by armed Islamist groups. The dominant language is Kanuri.
It is a rare piece, associated with protective spirits, which was buried in the ground in order to preserve crops from animals or thieves. The Damosaka families, a very little known minority ethnic group in the region, had this type of ritual object. We have no information about them. The sculpture consists of a figurative and fairly detailed representation of a ram offering realistic proportions. Spongy-looking metal clusters remain on subject's back and between forelegs. A verdigris patina appears under an ocher brown film.

Among the Kongo at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries, the crucifix was a symbol of power among the regalia chieffaux. A ceremony at the chief's inauguration required the future leader to recovel at the hands of a dignitary, during a codified ritual, a nkangi kiditu . This badge of power, inspired by ancient Christian crucifixes imported by the Portuguese in the 16th century, could also have a therapeutic function, and, in addition to various uses, be brandished during funeral ceremonies during which the object was subjected to libations of oil or palm wine. The cross would not be a specific motif to the Christian world, the Kongo considering that the four branches refer to the cycle of human existence. The Kongo also used an initiation ceremony, the kimpasi , in which the ...

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Exceptional Sango reliquary sculpture offering a head resting on a long metal-encircled neck. The radically abstract body unfolds in a diamond shape, following the classic structure of reliquary figures.
Among the Shira-Punu group, The Massango, Mashango, Sango, Sangu, settled on the Chaillu massif in Gabon and in the province of Ngounié. The use of baskets and also bundles of reliquaries with the bones of the deceased, on which sculptures of this type were enthroned, was widespread throughout Gabon, among the Fang, the Kota, but also the Mitsogho and the Massango > , in which this cult takes the name of Bumba , Mbumba. The sculptures playing the role of "medium" between the living and the dead who watched over the descendants, were associated with the bwete rites among ...

In African art, the artistic movement of which these sculptures are a part bears the name of the ancient religious capital of Nigeria, Ifè, one of the many city-states established by the Yoruba. This civilization succeeded the Nok civilization. This city-state of Ilé-Ifé, whose rise culminated from the 12th to the 15th century, had an artistic tradition of royal portraits imbued with realism, funeral effigies in bronze but also in terracotta. The parallel folds traced on the neck would evoke the folds of flesh of the prosperous notables, and the hollowed out parts which accompany it were to be used to fix the beaded veil of the king. The parallel lines of the face represent the traditional scarifications. The openings around the mouth presumably represented a beard created by the ...

The tribal palatial art of Benin.
Before the destruction of the palace of the Kingdom of Benin in 1897, the divine character of the kings, the Oba, was illustrated by multiple works celebrating their power. War scenes were reproduced on narrative plaques, in bronze, and affixed to the walls. Sumptuous bronze altars, commemorative figures of deceased chiefs, heavy bracelets, anklets and recades were produced in quantity in many foundry workshops using the lost wax casting technique. The killing of the king of animals associated with legends, the leopard, was the privilege of the chief, the Oba. The feline could then serve as an offering for the cult of the chief's head. Sometimes tamed by various royal guilds, it accompanied the leader on his travels. The Oba, named "child of the ...

Bronze in the African art of the Benin Kingdom
Before the destruction of the palace of the kingdom of Benin in 1897, the divine character of the kings, the Oba, was illustrated by multiple works celebrating their power. War scenes glorifying them were reproduced on narrative plaques, in bronze, and affixed to the walls. Sumptuous bronze altars, commemorative figures of deceased chiefs, majestic felines, heavy bracelets, anklets and recades were produced in quantity in numerous foundry workshops using the lost wax casting technique. The killing of the king of animals associated with legends, the leopard, was the privilege of the chief, the Oba. The feline could then serve as an offering for the cult of the chief's head. Sometimes tamed by various royal guilds, it accompanied the ...

Among the Kongo in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the crucifix was a symbol of power legitimising its authority among the chief regalia. A ceremony at the inauguration of the chief required the future leader to receive from a dignitary, in a codified ritual, a nkangi kiditu . This insignia of power, inspired by ancient Christian crucifixes imported by the Portuguese in the 16th century, could also have a therapeutic function, and, in addition to various uses, be brandished during funeral ceremonies during which the object was subjected to libations of oil or palm wine. Height on a base: 29 cm.
The cross would not be a specific motive for the Christian world, the Kongo considering that the four branches refer to the cycle of human existence. The Kongo also used an initiation ...