Tribal Art

This lidded container depicts an ancestor, intermediate between men and gods, adopting a symbolic gesture, arms raised, one of the hands folded. A tiara engraved with lines delimits the shaved skull. The traditional sophisticated hairstyle, oiled and coated with red powder, then mounted on a raffia base, was organized at the back in cruciform element most often. The beard is associated with the wisdom and experience of the grandfather.
Generally made in iroko, these ritual sculptures were venerated by a particular clan and stored in funeral premises in the chief's house.
Patine golden brown oiled and velvety, very slight cracks. Erosions

The Hemba, established in southeastern Zaire, on the right bank of the Lualaba, have long been subject to the luba neighbour who ...

Evoking a miniature stool, this cup for grinding ingredients such as tobacco, spices or pigments, is carried by four curved legs on which human features are engraved. Dark brown satin patina, locally lightened. Desication crack.
For the Dan of Côte d'Ivoire, also called Yacouba, two very distinct universes oppose each other: that of the village, made up of its inhabitants, its animals, and that of the forest, its vegetation and the animals and spirits that live there. populate. For these spirits to settle, a specific area of the forest is designated and still preserved outside the dan villages. Sacrifices are also required in order to communicate through these spirits. Different types of dan masks have been listed, each with a specific function.

Ointment box with lid sculpted in the round with the effigy pfemba, illustrating an African Kongo motherhood. The woman seated cross-legged, named phemba or pfemba, symbol of the mythical ancestor, would be associated with fertility cults. The child on her lap would embody the matrilineal transmission of power. Black satin patina.
The Solongo cultures of Angola and Yombé were largely influenced by the Kongo kingdom, from which they borrowed naturalistic statuary and religious rites by means of carved fetishes nkondo nkisi.
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 whose use remains little known.

This box with handles was intended for the relics of an ancestor, the bust figure surmounting its lid reproducing the silhouette of the "garde" reliquary of the bwete, or bwiti , in the Mitsoghos. Desication cracks, shrapnel. Patine mate.
The Mitsogho ethnic group, Sogho, is established in a forested area on the right bank of the Ngoumé River, Ngounié, near the Kwele. The Bwiti company, which has a system of reliquaries comparable to that of the Fang and Kota, formed the cohesion of the matrilineal clans mitsogho. Their masks were displayed at the funeral, and stored in the male ebanza initiation house. Like the other etnies of Gabon, they practice the rites of the Bwiti which would have spread in this way among the coastal peoples. Their sculptural production is varied, in the ...

A maternity figure pfemba , carved in the round, tops the lid of this small ointment box. The woman seated cross-legged, named phemba or pfemba, a symbol of the mythical ancestor, is likely associated with fertility cults. The child on her lap would embody the matrilineal transmission of power. Black satin patina. The Solongo cultures of Angola and Yombe were largely influenced by the Kongo kingdom from which they borrowed naturalistic statuary and religious rituals by means of carved fetishes nkondo nkisi.
The Yombe are established on the West African coast, in the southwestern Republic of Congo and in Angola. Their statuary includes remarkable maternities whose use remains little known.

This exceptional sculpted, stylized female figure features a container on the back with metallic sheets on the back. Parallel legs are like tied at the ankles by copper wire. The digitized hands are gathered at the bust, under the breasts of a young girl. In the rectangular volume of the legs evoking a loincloth, a deep orifice has been arranged. Circular facial scarifications can sometimes be found in neighbouring Chokwe and Luena. The character is said to be associated with the mythical ancestor "nana yakoma", guardian of the sacred fire. This type of sculpture was reserved for the exclusive use of chefs. It is on the Benguéla plateau in Angola that the Ovimbudu , Ovimbundu, composed of farmers and herders, have been established for several centuries. They belong to Bantu speakers, such ...

Cephalomorphic headdress with a handle, a figurative chief's insignia marked by Tschokwe influence. The headdress would be of the "guhota sanga" style worn around the 1950s . (p.7 "Pende" Z.S. Strother - ed. 5Continents) Black glossy patina.
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, the possessed, etc.... The masks of initiation and those ...

The monumental sculpture of African art from the Yoruba region.
A container with a lid, symbolizing the world, is supported by a seated female subject. Human figures, evocations of fertility, ancestors and orisa spirits, were sculpted in the round while faces adorn the cup. The different scenes refer to mythology and Yoruba gods. Matt polychrome patina, minimal cracks.
Centered on the veneration of its gods, or orisà , the Yoruba religion is based on artistic sculptures with coded messages ( aroko ). These spirits are believed to intercede with the supreme god Olodumare . The cups are intended for votive offerings, gifts for visitors, or for divination. Sculptures of this type decorated the palaces of the Yoruba country. Linear scarifications mark the faces of the ...

Pot on foot of a beautiful regularity, with orange slip. A wide band of motifs in relief borders the walls. According to the catalog "Sura Dji, faces and roots of Zaire" (1982), this type of bowl was used for prepared food. Along the Zaire River, over 200 km, cemeteries were uncovered around the 1940s. In Sanga, Bukama, but also in the region of Pungwe, around Lake Kisale, funerary ceramics were discovered buried in the graves of chiefs.

Named the generous in African art, these urns are intended to collect palm wine. This double jar with handles has cephalomorphic necks arranged face to face. Golden brown nuanced oiled patina.
asebli in the forest in northeastern Zaire, the Mangbetu kingdom has expressed itself through architectural works that impressed European visitors in the 19th century. Their furniture, weapons, adornments and statuary were imbued with a rare aesthetic quality. The Mangbetu story was based on the refinement of his court but also on cannibalistic customs. King Mangbetu " Munza" was so nicknamed " The cannibal king". The body lines on the characters, like those of the face, include the traditional paintings of the ethnic group, inspired by the tattoos of the nearby Asua pygmies, and which ...

This African sculpture combines an animal figure with a curved back under the weight of a cup, and a monkey whose name is aboya , or mbotumbo enthroned at the top. These sculptures were once associated with a cult that was forbidden to women and reserved for blacksmiths. Among the Baoulé , this cult, the Mbra, required the sacrifice of a dog, which the Guro and the Senoufo also practiced. These figures indeed evoke powerful spirits of nature bonu amuin linked to virility and whose energy should be channeled through rituals involving sacrificial offerings. These statues were held by soothsayers possessed by the spirit the object was meant to embody. The Senoufos, the name given to them by French settlers, are mostly composed of farmers who dispersed between Mali, Ivory Coast, and ...

This milk container has a handle and a rounded lid. The decorative friezes are made of pearls and cowrie shells, the latter symbolizing material wealth and having constituted a currency of exchange during the 19th century in Africa. Soft and satin surface, glossy patina. Minimal cracks.
The Kuba and the tribes settled between the Sankuru and Kasai rivers, including the Bushoong and Dengese also from the Mongo group, are renowned for the refinement of prestige objects created for members of the higher ranks of their society. Several Kuba groups produced anthropomorphic ceremonial objects with refined designs, including cups, drinking horns and goblets. The Kuba kingdom was founded in the 16th century by the Bushoong who are still ruled by a king today. It is the most prolific ...

Monumental sculpture of African art from the Yoruba region. Lidded vessels, adorned with a variety of subjects, are superimposed above figures of caryatids framing a central, seated figure. The human figures, evocations of fertility, ancestors, and orisa spirits, were carved in the round while bas-relief motifs adorn the walls of the central rectangular bowl. The various scenes refer to Yoruba mythology. Faded polychromy, matt patina, minimal cracks and abrasions. Centered on the veneration of its gods, or orisà, Yoruba religion relies on artistic sculptures with coded messages ( aroko ). These spirits are believed to intercede with the supreme god Olodumare . The cups are intended for votive offerings, gifts for visitors, or for divination. Sculptures of this type decorated ...

From the ex private collection of African Art Emile Robyn ( Brussels, Belgium ).

It's a pottery linked to the worship Mawu-Lissa, who is a creator deities in the voodoo religion. This divinity is known in the Ewe and Mina people from Togo and the Fon people from Benin in west Africa. Mawu-Lissa means " What we can't overcome " . It's also used by the Christians to designate God in the Bible or in the Christian liturgy.

It's the grandfather of Emile, Abel Robyn, that started the collection in 1850, who was transmitted over three generations. At the death of Abel in 1895, his son, Jérôme Robyn did inherited the collection which he continued to fulfil until his death in 1968.

Emile Robyn inherited from his father and also continued this ...

African art through terracotta Matakam pottery is known for its very fine patterns, sometimes resembling ropes, and this jar rests on three feet and its diameter shrinks before it disappears. Other pieces of brick color, this one is grayer.A small aliasing is also present on the edge.The Matakam also called Mafa are a population of Central Africa, especially present in the extreme north of Cameroon, also in Nigeria. are known to have been the first in contact with the German colonizer Monotheists, they believe a god of humans" named Jigile whose spelling may vary.However, they remain animists and thus, make sure to attract and to preserve the benevolence of the forces of nature, the ancestors being the mediators between the world of the living and Jigile, the Matakam thus practice the ...

This anthropomorphic container depicts the leader, mythical hero Chibinda Ilunga, wearing a headdress of a certain size, chipangula or cipenya mutwe . These hairstyles consisted of various materials, more precisely a wicker frame covered with fabric, brass, leather, beads. The chief had taught his people the art of hunting. The chiefs had a major function in the propitiation rites intended for the hunting and fertility of women, the objects being adorned with this figure thus, presumably, a protective function. In this case the bust forms a box whose circular lid consists of the head and shoulders of the character. A native restoration using a metal sheet was carried out on the back. Crusty residues (vegetable oil) line the inner flanks of the container. Satin mahogany brown patina.

African art and Yoruba statuary.
This divination cup ( igbadù or opon Igèdè) consisting of five compartments, one of which is central, is reserved for the divination cult Ifa, created by the Oyo of Nigeria and in connection with the egungun and Sango societies.
She contained the divination material of the Ifa priest, including kola nuts (ikin). Allegorical sculptures in relief around its lid and on its base are scenes that represent priests or followers of Shango, the god of thunder.
Sometains wield dance sticks, shango oshe, and fly-hunters, royal emblems, others present an offering box. The god Eshu , a deity mainly linked to communication, messenger between men and spirits and whose phallic headdress is recognizable, also appears.
From this orisha, one of the ...

The monumental sculpture of African art from the Yoruba regionTwo Caryatidic figures surrounded by sculptures of musicians support an impressive lidded container adorned with a variety of subjects. These were worked in round-bump and top and bas-relief, forming multiple detailed scenes, and whose iconography refers to Yoruba mythology. A recurrence: the image of the god shango in the form of a horseman, and the maternal figure, priestess and goddess. Extinct polychromy, matte patina, cracks and abrasions.
Centrée on the veneration of her gods, or orisà, the Yoruba religion relies on artistic sculptures with coded messages ( aroko). These spirits are supposed to intercede with the supreme god Olodumare. The cups are intended for votive offerings, gifts for visitors, or divination. ...

Focused on the veneration of its gods, or orisà, the Yoruba religion relies on artistic sculptures with coded messages ( aroko). These spirits are supposed to intercede with the supreme god Olodumare. This feminine figure, is represented seated, a spherical receptacle in the image of the earth is placed on his lap. It is intended for votive offerings, gifts for visitors, or divination. Sculptures of this type decorated the palaces of the country Yoruba. Subjects surround it, evocations of fertility and ancestors. Linear scarifications mark the faces of the characters in order not only to increase their physical beauty, but also to identify the rank or origin of its wearer. Body marks could be permanent or temporary, such as tattoos made from insect or plant juices, especially for court ...

The African art of Benin, figurative court art.
Visual effect of great effectiveness for this composition combining horse riders and warriors armed or equipped with the ceremonial sword Eben, against a finely incised background of leaf motifs symbolizing the universe of the god Olokun.Patine golden brown, light green-of-grey footprints.
The tradition of bronze court objects in the Benin Kingdom dates back to the 14th century. The many brass 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 or king. These rectangular altars were surmounted by heads, statues, carved ivory tusks, bells and sticks. They were used to commemorate an oba ...

African art and Yoruba statuary.

This divination cup consisting of five compartments, including a circular in the centre, is reserved for the Ifa divination cult, created by the Oyo of Nigeria and in connection with the societies Egungun and Sango.
It contained the divination material of the Ifa priest, including kola nuts. Allegorical sculptures embossed around its lid and on its base are scenes that depict priests or followers of Shango, the god of thunder.
Some brandish dance sticks, oshe shango, and fly-hunters, royal emblems, others present an offering box. The god Eshu , a deity mainly linked to communication, messenger between men and spirits and whose phallic headdress is recognizable, is also included.
From this orisha, one of the gods of the Yoruba ...