Tribal Art

Spectacular large sculptures forming a male and female couple associated with the Ci Wara Bambara, Bamana, or "wild beasts of the earth" antelopes.
Matte brown patina. Good general condition.
Established in central and southern Mali, the Bambara, "Bamana" or "unbelievers", as Muslims have called them, belong to the large Mande group, like the Soninke and the Malinke. Sculpted by the blacksmith numu, also playing the role of soothsayer and healer, this crest embodies the animal - genius Ciwara who is said to have taught the Bambara to cultivate the land. Worn on the top of the head and held in place by a basketry hat, these crests accompanied the dancers during the rituals of the tòn, an association dedicated to agricultural work. The masks roamed the field by leaping in order ...

Ex-collection African art Belgian
Rare and old Ti-wara, crest mask of African art.
Toque attached to a basketwork frame with cotton strips. It is surmounted by a sculpture depicting the body of an antelope. The head is missing. Clear patina of use, erosions and abrasions. Desication cracks.
It would be an animal - genius called Ciwara who would have taught the Bambara to cultivate the land. The latter remember the myth through the stylized representation of an antelope, whose name ci wara means "wild of the earth". Worn at the top of the skull and held in place by a kind of small basket, these crests accompanied the dancers during the rituals of the tòn, an association dedicated to agricultural work. The masks traversed the field while leaping in order to drive out ...

African Ci Wara crest mask of the Bambara, Bamana, chiselled with motifs representing the coat of a male antelope, "ci wara" or "wild animal of the earth".
Medium brown, velvety patina. Resin residues. Desication cracks.
Established in central and southern Mali, the Bambara, "Bamana" or "unbelievers", as the Muslims have called them, belong to the large Mande group, like the Soninke and the Malinke. Sculpted by the blacksmith numu, who also plays the role of diviner and healer, this crest embodies the animal - genius Ciwara who is said to have taught the Bambara to cultivate the land. Worn at the top of the skull and held in place by a basketry hat, these crests accompanied the dancers during the rituals of the tòn, an association dedicated to agricultural work. The masks ...

The Ti-wara in African art. It would be an animal - genius called Ciwara who would have taught the Bambara to cultivate the land. The latter recall the myth through the stylized representation of a hipporague antelope, whose name ci wara signifies of the earth. A particularly stylized vertical version of the Ci Wara, it features a long neck topped with a rectangular snout head and high parallel horns. Oiled dark patina. Ochre residual inlays. Desication cracks.
Ported to the top of the skull and held in place by a sort of small basket, these cimiers accompanied the dancers during the rituals of the tion , an association dedicated to agricultural work. The masks bound the field as they leaped to drive out nyama, evil scents, and to detect any danger, or to flush out evil geniuses ...

The Ti-wara, Ci wara, in African art.
It would be an animal - genius called Ciwara who would have taught the Bambara to cultivate the land. The latter recall the myth through the stylized representation of a hippotrague antelope, whose name ci wara means "false of the earth". In addition to a decoration engraved with fine geometric patterns, the tapered horns are banded with metal, like the forehead. Successive arches represent the wide neckline bearing a mane. The details of this dynamic figure with elegant forms allow it to be attributed to the Sikasso region. Very beautiful brown-black satin patina. Worn at the top of the skull and held in place by a sort of small basket, these crests accompanied the dancers during the rituals of the tòn , an association dedicated to ...

Ex-collection French tribal art.
African art of blacksmith craftsmen "numu".
This sculpture with straight lines, clean, has holes at the base of the neck, which allowed it to be fixed by means of raffia ties on the basket hat placed on the head. Mate oiled patina. It would be an animal -genius called Ciwara who would have taught the Bambara to cultivate the land. They recall the myth through the stylized representation of a hippotrague antelope, whose name ci wara means "fauve of the earth".Carried at the top of the skull and held in place by a kind of small basket, these cimiers accompanied the dancers during the rituals of the tun , association dedicated to agricultural work. The masks roamed the field, leaping away from the nyama, evil scents, and detecting any danger, or ...