Tribal Art

Rarely presented in such a posture, the mbole sculpture here depicts a seated subject, hands clasped in prayer. Oiled black patina, erosions and drying cracks, restorations (reptile skin).
The province of Lualaba had several close ethnic groups with similar associations. The Mbole are known for their statues embodying, according to D. Biebuck, hanged men, called ofika. The lilwa, an association with dogmatic initiation rites, had the custom of judging and condemning to hanging those guilty of infractions of the imposed rules. These offenses ranged from murder to adultery to breaking the secret surrounding the lilwa. Dishonored, the bodies of the condemned received no funeral and were buried in the forest. It was during the end of initiation ceremonies, presided over by a notable ...

In the Arctic regions of North America called “Inuit Nunangat” live the Inuit people related to the Yupitt, Yupiks, of Alaska and Siberia. The Yupik and Esquimo, Eskimo, make, despite respecting certain traditional conventions, ceremonial masks of very varied size and appearance. For each occasion, following a dream, the shaman will indicate to the sculptor the function and shape of the mask required and which he will wear himself. The masks are associated with the “yua” souls of different animals or fish, which should be honored through rituals. This unique Yupik-type mask offers a grimacing face, removable elements resembling a hand and a "fin" are installed on the surface, also decorated with an animal fur hairstyle, feathers and a wicker hoop. . Polychrome, matte pigments.

African statue altar part of a cult supposed to promote fertility and protect descendants, very widespread not only among the animist Idoma, but also among the Igala and the Yoruba of the South. These statues which benefited from offerings were kept in sanctuaries. Matte crusty patina. Erosions.
The Idoma live at the confluence of the Benué and the Niger. Numbering 500,000, they are farmers and traders. There are Igbo, Cross River and Igala influences in their art and customs and it is often difficult to distinguish them from their neighbors. Royal lineage members of their oglinye society, glorifying courage, use masks and crests during funerals and festivities. They also produced fertility statues with whitened faces displaying incised teeth. Janiform crests generally appear at ...

Miniature in silver and bronze alloy depicting a rider on his mount, which represents an exceptional attribute of prestige in the arid regions of the Sahel. This talisman constitutes, for the Sao, a protection against madness. The rider symbolizes the genius who possesses the madman, the horse representing the victim.
Between the 12th and 14th centuries, the Sao, ancestors of the Kotoko, were established on hills in the border regions of Chad, northern Cameroon and Nigeria, in order to repel invaders. Subjected to successive attacks from their neighbors in Kanem and then to hordes from the East, the Sao had to abandon their lands to settle in the North-West of Cameroon where they mixed with the natives, thus giving birth to the Kotokos. The Kotoko still attribute today to the ...

In African art, the sowei constitute, through Mende culture, the feminine ideal. This "bell" shaped mask called bundu, among the most important among the Mendé, features a face encased in rings, symbolizing an abundance of flesh associated with prosperity.
Painted black or tinted using a leaf wash, the mask was then rubbed with palm oil. Semi-matte patina, abrasions from use, gaps.
The Mende, Vaï and Gola cultures, of Sierra Leone, Liberia and the west coast of Guinea, are known in African art for the helmet masks and more particularly those of the female initiation society Sandé< /i> which prepares young girls for 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, ...

Very expressive sculpture of a small, stocky character, represented with hands united under the chin, with characteristics also kwésé, according to the hatching of the face. Orifices have been pierced on either side of the head for possible suspension, sex for ritual purposes. Grainy velvety patina, partially abraded, desication cracks.
The Kwésé are established among other tribes such as the Mbala and the Hungaan, along the banks of the Kwango River in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their sculpture is inspired by that of their neighbors and sometimes made by the Mbalas at the request of the Kwese.
The headdress shares great similarities with the mukote headdress which, among the Western Pende with whom the Mbala shared mukanda circumcision rituals, became a symbol of ...

Stick surmounted by a Fang Mabea type miniature, embodying the ancestor of the clan, guardian of the reliquary boxes of the Byeri cult. Minor erosions.
Height on base: 645 cm.
The Fang ethnic group, established in a region extending from Yaoundé in Cameroon to Ogooué in Gabon, has strongly influenced the Mabea of southern Cameroon who have absorbed a large part of their rites such as so and the ngil. The reliquary statues, sculpted by the Mabea, are however generally larger than those of the Fang and adorned with various finery. The hairstyle is also very distinct, divided into shells, unlike the Fang crest. Among the Fang of Cameroon and Gabon, each family has a “Byeri”, or reliquary box, in which the bones of the ancestors are kept. The reliquary boxes were topped with a ...

The Galoa (or Galwa) live downstream from Lambaréné on the Ogooué River, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. They are called "people of the lake". They produced masks called Okouyi, Okukwé, used by initiatory societies to reveal witchcraft and their authors through divination. Several neighboring ethnic groups, including the Adouma and the Kota, use flat areas of contrasting colors in Gabon, including kaolin supposed to have apotropaic properties.
The groups of Gabon practice the worship of the bwiti, worship of the ancestors, and their relics are surmounted by a sculpture acting as a watchman. The Tsogho also produced a variety of masks comparable to those of their neighbors in the Ogooué basin. Height on base: 93 cm (reduction on request) Velvety matte patina. Abrasions from use.

The Urhobos, northwest of the Niger Delta River, form the main ethnic group in Delta State among the 36 states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They speak Urhobo, a language of the Niger-Congo group. Together with the closely related Isoko, they are collectively known as Sobo. Their large sculptures representing the spirits of nature, edjo, or founding ancestors of the clan, to whom sacrifices were offered, were grouped together in sanctuaries within the villages. Their masks embody the spirits of water and earth. This specimen would have been borrowed from the Western Ijo. This type of mask, which was also associated with a young girl (omotokpokpo), was used during the Niger floods.
Cracks and abrasions.
Lit. : ...

Ex-collection of French African tribal art.
This African sculpture called "ugonachonma" depicts a young nubile woman. It included staging in village squares during dry season entertainment ceremonies. These figures are specific to village age groups in the north central Igbo region, around Onitsha and Awka. Women have specific criteria of Igbo beauty, including uli tattoos. Eroded matte patina, discreet polychrome highlights, drying cracks and gaps.
br>The Igbo worship a considerable number of deities known as alusi, or agbara, considered to be the descendants of Chuku, or Chukwu, and as such constitute 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 around ...

Slender face flanked by huge rectangular earrings, inviting the gaze towards the shoulders draping the columnar bust like a shawl. The asymmetry of long bent arms offers the illusion of dynamics. The skirted hips overhang the parallel planes of notched legs. Erosions and cracks. Glossy black patina.
The statuary emanating from the northwestern region of the middle Benoué, from the Kona Jukun, to the Mumuye and up to the Wurkun populations is distinguished by a relative absence of ornamentation and a refined stylization. The 100,000 Adamawa language speakers form a group called Mumuye and are grouped into villages, dola, divided into two groups: those of fire (tjokwa) relating to blood and the color red, guardians of the Vabong cult, from among whom are elected the heads,and ...

In African art, a panel of objects, the regalia, made up of headdresses, seats, weapons, crowns, scepters, cups and drinking horns, belong to the chiefs. They magnify and reinforce their authority. An emblem of power and prestige, this fly swatter is sculpted with a figure of a singiti ancestor.
Satin brown patina.
The Hemba, established in the south-east of Zaire, on the right bank of the Lualaba, have long been subject to the neighboring Luba empire which had a certain influence on their culture. The cult of ancestors, whose effigies have long been attributed to the Luba, is central in Hemba society. The singiti statues were preserved by the fumu mwalo and honored during ceremonies during which sacrifices were offered to them. Alongside the authority of hereditary ...

Among the elements of African furniture for daily use, a mossi stool from the Ivory Coast, whose circular seat is supported by five diamond-shaped legs. This type of stool for individual use, often carved in shea wood, marked the social rank of its owner and was not suitable in any way. Patina of use, desication cracks, erosions.
The Mossi are a people originating from Burkina Faso as well as the bordering regions of surrounding countries. More than five million people consider themselves Mossi, membership in this ethnic community being based on the practice of moré and on the practice of a certain number of traditions. In the 15th and 16th centuries, they constituted great kingdoms, the two main ones of which (Yatenga and Ouagadougou) remained independent until European ...

Old stool seat evoking the mythical arch of the Dogon creation. A metal staple consolidates the structure. The decoration of the blanks presents subjects associated with the Nommos ancestors. Velvety matte patina, abrasions and desication cracks.
According to the Dogon cosmogony, the first primordial ancestors of Dogon, called Nommo, were the bisexual water gods. They were created in heaven by the creator god Amma and descended from heaven to earth in an ark.
The Nommo is said to have founded the eight lineages of Dogon and instilled weaving, the art of blacksmithing, and the agriculture to their human descendants.
Ref. : "Dogon" H. Leloup, ed. Quai Branly Museum.

This type of head adornment is worn by members of the highest ranks of the bwami secret society governing the lega social structure, open to circumcised adults and their wives and who instruct their adherents in terms of moral perfection. These objects are part of the masengo, meaning that they are sacred and can therefore only be worn by initiates. The owner cannot part with it during his lifetime. Bwami has different degrees, with yananio and kindi being the highest. The materials used vary, it can be buttons of clothes, cowries, pearls or cocoa beans. On a carefully braided cap in natural fibers, cowries and multicolored pearls are artistically applied, while long braids of raffia form a semblance of hair. The strap is lined with manufactured buttons.

Source: "Insiders". ...

African mask "Unangled" whose carefully braided hairstyle contours the upper part of the face. A lustrous dark patina enhances the soft harmony of the features. The masks were sculpted according to precise instructions following dreams in which the spirits appeared. Height on base: 38 cm. Abrasions, small accidents.
The Dan masks, of various styles, generally occur during very theatrical entertainment festivals where women play a leading role. The so-called "mocking" mask called Déanglé defines an ideal of beauty and benevolence because it is sculpted in honor of the young girls of the village or renowned men. Each mask had a name linked to its function. Also used during circumcision rites, they appear in the company of the gle sö singing masks and the large go ge masks ...

The Fang of the region extending from Yaoundé in Cameroon to Ogooué in Gabon strongly influenced the Mabea of southern Cameroon. The latter have absorbed a large part of their rites such as the so and the ngil. The reliquary statues, sculpted by the Mabea, are however generally larger than those of the Fang and adorned with various finery. The hairstyle is also very distinct, divided into two shells, unlike the Fang crest. This figure of a female ancestor is treated according to the conventions in use, hands resting on the thighs. Its jewelry represents the copper torques and bracelets worn by dignitaries. Minor cracks. Heterogeneous, slightly grainy patina.
Among the Fang of Cameroon and Gabon, each family has a “Byeri”, or reliquary box, in which the bones of the ancestors ...

African figure rising in a narrow column punctuated by surfaces in circular trays. The subject with a face offering low relief is seated, an object on his knees. Light dry patina, dark residues of ritual practices, erosions.
Carved for the most part to order placed by a family, the Dogon statues can also be the object of worship on the part of the whole community when they commemorate, for example, the foundation of the village. However, their functions remain little known. Alongside Islam, Dogon religious rites are organized around four main cults: the Lébé, relating to fertility, under the spiritual authority of the Hogon, the Wagem, ancestor worship under the authority of the patriarch, the Binou invoking the spirit world and led by the priest of the Binou, and the society of ...

Kongo type miniature charm mask.
Dark patina, desiccation crack.

Height on base: 17 cm.
These mediating masks, also present in initiation processes, were used during healing rituals. In the 13th century, the Kongo people, led by their king Ne Kongo, settled in a region at the crossroads of the borders between the current DRC, Angola and Gabon. Two centuries later, the Portuguese came into contact with the Kongo and converted their king to Christianity. This king, also called ntotela, controlled the appointment of court and provincial officials. Belonging to the Kongo group, the Yombe are established on the West African coast, in the south-west of the Republic of Congo and in Angola.

Camped in a posture of challenge, this subject of African art has a ventral load (bilongo) for therapeutic purposes. The Vili produced a variety of nkisi individual use statues, to which multiple virtues were attributed. The glazed eyes symbolize clairvoyance in a face with naturalistic features.
The Vili , the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembe, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo formed the Kôngo group, led by King ntotela . Their kingdom reached its peak in the 16th century with the trade in ivory, copper and the slave trade. 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 urbanized for the most part, they still integrate traditional associations, depending on the worship ...

Collection of Belgian African art.

This African mask Ngbaka offers a curved structure curved at eye level. The discreet features are highlighted with linear scarifications. Thick abraded patina, erosions.
A tribe settled on the left bank of the Ubangui, the Ngbaka practice agriculture, and their artistic achievements were inspired by those of the neighboring Ngbandi and Ngombe tribes , with a distinctive feature however, the forehead line dotted with linear keloids. They are organized into tribes without political unity, under the supervision of the chief wan and worship a god named Gale through the cult rendered to the spirits of nature. Their statues generally represent the primordial ancestors Setu and his sister Nabo and are installed on altars for propitiatory ...