Tribal Art

Ex-collection of Belgian African tribal art.
Old African entertainment mask made from dense wood, with a black patina. The headdress is made up of four braided shells extended by an excrescence. The face offers traditional scarifications called “ngole”. Height on base: 58 cm.
These portrait masks of the Baoulé, ndoma, frequently representing an idealized character, appear at the end of entertainment dance ceremonies. The latter are named, depending on the region, bedwo, ngblo, mblo, adjussu, etc.... Each of these masks are distinguished by hairstyles, location and choice of scarifications, etc. Also called Gbagba, they personify graceful young girls or men whose valor or qualities of integrity are renowned. New generations are gradually replacing these Mblo dances called ...

Dedicated to a protective genius, this voluminous version of the African maskNam Gbalang or Lang Badna is a powerful symbol associated with the Vara cult.

This mask associated with the wild and dangerous spirit of the buffalo appears during the rites of passage of the Kaa festival and during high-ranking funerals.

According to some, this mask represents a queen whose Chamba lineage claims to descend from the forest buffalo.
The rounded dome of the mask, evoking a skull, is associated with death and ancestors.
The other characteristics are linked to the wild world of nature, so the mouth symbolizes the jaws of the crocodile. The Nam Gbalang mask is danced with a costume made of raffia which completely covers the body of the man who wears ...

Thick, lumpy patina of use for this African animal mask offering outwardly erect ears, a protruding forehead, a blunt nose and a large, toothy grin. Seams resulting from ritual libations. Slight residual pigments, red ochre, additionally appear at the ears under the crusty coating.
Desiccation cracks and abrasions.
The Dogon people are renowned in African tribal art for the myths and beliefs relating to their cosmogony.
The population is estimated at about 300,000 souls living southwest of the Niger loop in the Mopti region of Mali (Bandiagara, Koro, Banka), near Douentza and part of northern Burkina (northwest of Ouahigouya).They produce more than 80 types of masks, the best known of which are the Kanaga , Sirigé , Satimbé , Walu . Most of them are used by ...

Collection d' art africainbelge
. Les expression artistiques d' art africain dans le Grassland camerounais.
Ce masque tribal africain , sculpté dans un bois dense, était porté sur le sommet de la tête. Le visage aux formes pleines, représentations humaines typiques des Grasslands, est coiffé d'une tiare circulaire ajourée. Cette oeuvre ancienne rappelle les masques tu nkum des Bamileke portés lors des célébrations du nja et les masques nzeup apparaissant au cours des danses et des processions de la société kunze (kemjye dans la région de Bandjoun) gardienne des traditions. Patine d'usage, abrasions et fissures de dessication.

Située dans la région frontalière du Nigeria, la province du Nord-Ouest du Cameroun, le Grassland  est constituée de plusieurs ...

Collection African tribal art Belgian
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. Now mostly urbanized, they still integrate traditional associations, depending on the cult of ancestors such as Mbouiti or Bieri. Just like the Kongo group, in order to protect themselves against witchcraft and various scourges, they produce a wide variety of magical ritual objects of the nkisi type. Their masks are used by the Ndunga or Djembe association, but also for the funerals of dignitaries and during traditional initiations. Still others are reserved for diviners.
The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo formed the Kôngo group, led by king ...

Ex-Belgian African art collection.
African masks and Muslim influence.
Established in Ivory Coast, but also in Ghana, the Ligbi, islamized, underwent the influence of s Senufo, since they charged Senufo or Mandé with carve their masks. The Djimini, on the other hand, are Senufo living in the Dabakala region. Their masks linked to the do society whose dances were generally supervised by the Ligbi are imbued with these reciprocal influences. This masked tradition, shared by the Djimini, has been preserved to manifest itself during the religious festivals of aïd-el-fitr and Aïd el-Kébir (festival sheep) accompanied by sacrifices and songs, and thus symbolizing the breaking of the fast. Just before the festivities, if necessary, the mask will be repainted and therefore coated ...

Ex-collection of French African tribal art.
It is through different secret societies that Bambara initiates acquire their knowledge, including that of Koré, targeting elders and during which zoomorphic masks are used. The society of Koré is divided into eight classes of initiates, the sixth of which is that of hyenas, or surukuw.

Mask bearing traces of use , tooth implantation orifices.
Velvety matte patina, erosions.

Established in central and southern Mali, in a savannah area, the Bambara, "Bamana" or "unbelievers", as the Muslims called them, belong to the large Mande group, with the Soninke and the Malinke. Groups of Bambara nyamakala artisans, more specifically blacksmiths called numu, are responsible for carving ritual objects, endowed with nyama ...

Ex-Belgian African art collection. br>
This African mask Baoulé, a sculpture called portrait-mask or Ndoma, has a hairstyle organized in three shells. The face bears scarifications called " ngole". Grainy dark brown surface, partially flaking. Desication cracks, indigenous restorations.
Height on base: 56 cm.
These Baoulé portrait masks, ndoma, which are part of one of the oldest Baoulé artistic traditions and frequently represent an idealized character, have the particularity of appearing at the end of entertainment dance ceremonies. .These are named, depending on the region, bedwo , ngblo , mblo , adjussu , etc... . Each of these masks are distinguished by the hairstyles, the location and the choice of scarifications. They occur during danced events accompanied by ...

Witnesses to the traditions of the Hopi Indian peoples of Arizona, Katsinam sculpted objects (song. Kachina) are expressed during traditional dances accompanying the annual rain festivals. This Hopi-type mask presents an animal skin helmet trimmed with fur trim, feathers, raffia ribbon, dried corn cob nose. It is framed by a large panel painted with polychrome decorative motifs on each of its sides. The hues would indicate the nature of the spirit represented. The patina is matte, abrasions and small accidents.

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 ...

Semi-spherical, crossed by an excrescence joining the orifice of the mouth and whose upper end is divided into antennae, this zoomorphic mask is hollowed out with circular eyes with perforated contours. Ears are sketched in height on either side of the pupils, while linear scarifications are drawn locally. Soft black satin patina, chipped areas, abrasions and desication cracks.
Height on base: 37 cm. The Ogoni live along the coasts of Nigeria, near the mouth of the Cross-River, south of the Igbo and west of the Ibibio. Their carvings vary from village to village, but are mainly renowned for their hinged-jaw masks like some Ekpo Ibibio masks. Their masks were usually worn at funerals, festivities accompanying plantings and harvests, but also more recently to welcome distinguished ...

This African mask offers concentrated features under a vast forehead that a protruding scarification divides vertically, a particularity of the zone located between the Guro and the Bété. A braided beard, highlighted with a necklace of glass beads, extends the chin. This mask, whose function remains poorly documented, would symbolize masculine strength, and perhaps also a powerful notable named "migone". Glossy and abraded patina, gritty residual pigment at the top.
Height on base: 49 cm.
The Bété form a tribe established on the left bank of the Sassandra River in the south-west of the Ivory Coast. Close to the Kouya and the Niabwa, the making of their masks, as well as their function, offer great similarities.

"Guro" ed. 5Continents.

Italian African tribal art collection.
An angular forehead punctuates the diamond hairstyle of this African Lwalwa mask. The gaze is pierced with rectangles in a subtly concave face and the mouth projects under the powerful nose. The Mfondo and Nkaki masks, with their barely dissimilar nasal profile, are difficult to distinguish, but the Mfondo would have a nose reminiscent of a hornbill beak.
Reddish brown patina often from berries (Bixa orellana). Orange highlights. Indigenous restoration at the top. Desication cracks.
The Lwalwa live near the Kasai River, between Angola and Zaire. Historically having a matrilineal society, the Lwalwa after having been influenced by Luba and Songye, adopted a patrilineal system within their rudimentary political and social ...

Ex-collection of African tribal art from Belgium.
A face with metal-rimmed pupils and a carefully crafted hairstyle for this large African so-called "racing" mask. The chin is lined with bells and sachets of various ingredients. Height on base: 65 cm.
Masks equipped with round orbits (gunye ge), facilitating vision, are part of the set of northern Dan masks and are used for racing events during the dry season. The zapkei ge, also equipped with circular orbits, are responsible for preventing fires by watching over domestic fires. Among the Dan, or Yacouba, living in the west of the Ivory Coast and in Liberia, the "dü" force which would animate the world would manifest itself in the sculpted masks. According to the Dan, the spirits indicate how to name the mask they wish to ...

This African mask of the Nzebi type, a beautiful object of African art with reduced dimensions, is characterized by its fine lines and the vertical distribution of its colored areas. Embodying a spirit of nature or an ancestor, he was supposed to facilitate access to the supernatural world in order to guarantee the benevolence of the reigning powers, according to the group, on the afterlife.
Grainy surface, erosions.
Originally from the Ogooué region, the Nzebi or Bandjabis settled in southern Gabon and in the Republic of Congo around Mayoko, a region rich in iron ore. The Bwiti, Mwiri, and Ndjobi form their main secret societies.

The African art sculptures of the Bobo, Bwa, Kurumba and Mossi, living in Burkina Faso, frequently take up and combine stylized elements borrowed from men, animals or even insects. In the center of the hollowed-out pupils, surmounting a zoomorphic mouth, runs the sinuous figure of a serpent. The decorative motifs traced on the contours of the mask are inspired by traditional scarifications. Chipped matte patina.
Mossi masks are an embodiment of ministering spirits offering their support. They perform at burials, funerals of clan chiefs, protect crops. Their appearance is now frequent during entertainment shows. Upper Volta, Burkina Faso since independence, is made up of the descendants of the Nakomse invaders, horsemen from Ghana, and the Tengabibisi, descendants of the natives. ...

Topped with a high flat crest, this African Dogon mask is one of the many stylistic variations of Dogon masks, icons of Dogon tribal art. Angular features, eyes hollowed out in a triangle, thin protruding lips, and a protrusion extending the nose, characterize this mask carved in a dense wood, with a grainy surface. Polychrome crusty patina with local flaking. The Dogon are a people renowned for their cosmogony, their esotericism, their myths and legends. Their population is estimated at about 300,000 souls living southwest of the Niger loop in the Mopti region of Mali (Bandiagara, Koro, Banka), near Douentza and part of northern Burkina (northwest of Ouahigouya). The villages are often perched on the top of scree on the side of hills, according to a unique architecture. The ...

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A serene softness distinguishes the Punu masks. The latter, wearing braids gathered in a shell and encircled with a hood, offers delicately drawn eyebrows highlighting bulbous, half-closed eyelids and prominent lips lifted with red ocher. Velvety matte patina, abrasions.br>

Embodying a young person "Mfon", this figurative Ibibio crest mask took place during the entertainment festivals of the Ekpo society. The face, modeled with gentleness and mastery, is coated in two tones echoing the crest. The velvety patina is locally chipped. Height on base: 51 cm.
People of West Africa, the Ibibios are mainly present in the south-east of Nigeria (Akwa Ibom State) west of the Cross River, but also in Ghana, in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. The Anang are a neighboring related people. Without centralized government, their social organization is comparable to that of neighboring Igbo. The cult of ancestors, shared by the Oron and Eket established on the right bank of the Cross River, is under the authority of the highest ranking members of the Ekpo (ghost) male ...

The Mumuye in African tribal art.
Mask depicting a stylized "bust", it has a front surface bristling with a series of growths. Nail inlays form geometric patterns. Shiny patina encrusted with matt clear pigments. Erosions and cracks. Occurring occasionally in pairs, this mask could be accompanied by a horizontal mask during rituals preceding the wars. Its appearance is nowadays linked to apotropaic ceremonies and the call for rain.

South of the Benoué River, in a region of difficult access which isolated them until 1950, are the Mumuye, who are organized into family groups called dola. This type of mask is found in the northwestern region of the middle Benoué, from the Kona Jukun, to the Mumuye and up to the Wurkun populations. The 100,000 Adamawa language speakers ...

In African art among the Mende, sowei masks embody aquatic spirits. This ancient African mask called bundu offers a braided hairstyle forming a unique assembly. The face sinks into rings of flesh, a feminine ideal linked to prosperity.
Painted black or tinted with a leaf wash, the mask was then rubbed with palm oil. Soft, satiny patina, erosions and desication cracks.br> The Mende, Vai and Gola cultures of Sierra Leone, Liberia and the west coast of Guinea are known for the helmet masks of the female initiation society Sandé which prepares young girls for the marriage . The male society is the Poro society. Relatively rare in sub-Saharan Africa, these masks are made by men and worn by women.
To close the rituals, a "spirit" appears, wearing this mask lined with long fibers of ...