Tribal Art

Belgian African tribal art collection.
Power betiches in African art. This naturalistic figure has an oval face whose style is generally attributed to the Solongo of Angola, the latter supplying the Kongo clans. The glassy gaze of the pinheaded pupils is wide open which "constitutes the prerogative of an elder. Indeed, only people of mature age can stare at us with such insistence in order to alert us to problems or blunders."
The head of an enemy forms the base of the character. Placed on the abdomen, behind a glass, ingredients make up the magical charge, whose iron nails larding the piece reinforce the power. Clayey libatory residues have clumped on the surface, locally draped with textile strips.
Beautiful dark oiled patina, granular aggregates of kaolin.
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Fetish statue Nkisi , nkishi (pl. mankishi ) anthropomorphic of the most fascinating, with a piercing gaze encrusted with cowries. The cone-shaped mouth reinforces the expressiveness of the face. A horn springs from the large head extended by a beard. The umbilicus and the beard are underlined by nails. Dark satin patina. Desiccation cracks and chips.

These protective fetishes for homes are among the most prized in Africa. The Nkisi plays the role of mediator between gods and men. The large examples are the collective property of an entire village, while the smaller figures belong to an individual or a family. In the sixteenth century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle on the left bank of the Lualaba River. Their society is organized in a patriarchal ...

Streaked with vertical marks, the face of this human figurine has half-closed eyes stretched towards the temples, like some of the traditional masks of the group. The posture is rectilinear, the bust however hardly inclined forward, and the tips of the fingers rest on the pelvis. A hole on the top of the head has been filled in, suggesting that a horn must have been inserted. Lustrous patina, golden brown. Tribe of the Tabwa group, the Rungu are established in a region between the D.R.C. (Democratic Republic of Congo), Zambia and Tanzania. Under the influence of the neighboring Lubas and Bemba, the Rungu produced prestigious objects for dignitaries, stools, combs, spoons and scepters, frequently decorated with figures of couples or twins evoking the primordial ancestors. Their ...

The therapeutic figures of the Kasongos, used by healers, were inspired by Songye fetishes. The magical charge, composed of ingredients of various origins, was inserted into the head cavity. The very dense wood is inlaid with metal like the Songye fetishes. The head of this stocky character, established in a quasi-crouched posture, is a Kasongo specificity. Matt patina. Abrasions, erosions and cracks.
The Kusu established on the left bank of the Lualaba have borrowed the artistic traditions of the Luba and the Hemba and possess a caste system similar to that of the Luba . The Kasongos form a Kusu subgroup, now scattered among the Luba, Songye, and Hemba. The singiti statues were kept by the fumu mwalo and honored in ceremonies during which sacrifices were ...

A golden, lustrous surface accompanies this OviMbundu bust sculpture. The top of the head is encrusted with ritual materials. This fetish was associated with female initiation rituals, linked to fertility, or played a role during divinatory ceremonies. The rectangular arms extend from short fingered hands under a small chest. The head, offering an oval face with fine features, wears a hairstyle pulled back. Orange patina, dark traces of ritual anointing, desiccation cracks.
It is on the Benguela plateau in Angola that the Ovimbudu, Ovimbundu, have been established for several centuries, made up of farmers and breeders. Forming the largest ethnic group in Angola, they belong to Bantu speakers, such as Nyaneka, Handa, Nkhumbi, and other groups from the region of Huila, or ...

French coll.traditional African art. This carved figure Nkisi, nkishi (pl. mankishi ) is equipped with magical charges bishimba which were inserted into the skull cavity if the abdomen did not have them. The power of the fetish would be further enhanced by the presence of various accessories, metal, quolifichets, etc... Beautiful orange-brown patina. Slight accidents and cracks of desiccation.
These protection fetishes intended for the houses are among the most appreciated of Africa. The Nkisi plays the role of mediator between gods and men. The large examples are the collective property of an entire village, while the smaller figures belong to an individual or a family. In the sixteenth century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle on the left bank of ...

Ex Belgian tribal art collection. The Yombe statuette opposite, devoid of body scarification, was originally intended to hold a weapon. This type of individual fetish, activated by magical formulas and possible additional accessories, was supposed to protect or inflict vengeance. The eyes evoke mediumistic qualities. Mahogany brown 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 nkondo nkisi fetishes. The Yombe settled on the West African coast, in the southwestern Republic of the Congo and in Angola. Their sculpture is primarily naturalistic, consisting of court regalia and emblems, anecdotal objects related to the ...

These two carved figures, collected in Bohicon, Benin, are free of accessories. The vigorously carved forms rise from a block. Large digitized hands close over the bust, and the faces express a powerful concentration. Wood coated with pink ochre, velvety surface.
The botchio (from bo : "evil spell" in Fon, and tchio , "corpse") erected at the top of a pole was erected at the entrance to the village or a house in order to ward off any threat, physical or spiritual. Some of them had minimalist forms, barely sketched around a central trunk. The multitude of fon gods (the vodun), similar to those of the Yoruba under different names, are represented by fetishes of all shapes and nature. Their shrines are found in Togo, Dahomey, and western Nigeria. Statuettes embodying ...

Exceptional African Dogon statuette collected in the 1950s by Monsieur Arnaud, accompanying Alain Bilot,
. renowned collector of Dogon art during study trips to Mali.

This sculpture depicts a woman wearing an elaborate headdress, standing with her legs tightly bent halfway, perched on a small pedestal. She presents an infant resting on forearms of inordinate length. An interesting grainy patina attests to the libations administered. Carved for the most part on commission by a family and in this case arranged on the family altar Tiré Kabou, the Dogon tribal statues can also be ...

Removable arms, fixed horizontally, give a defensive attitude to this Kongo fetish. It is also fitted with an abdominal cavity. Magical ingredients (bilongo), for therapeutic or protective purposes, were to be introduced by the nganga . The Vili produced a variety of sculptures for individual use nkisi , to which multiple virtues were attributed. Wide-eyed eyes symbolize foresight in a face wearing a flat hat. A red textile, highlighted with a nailing, drapes the bust, abdomen and skirt. Patine mate.
The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo formed the group Kôngo , led by King ntotela. Their kingdom reached its peak in the 16th century with the ivory, copper and slave trade. Similarly, beliefs and traditions, they produced a statuary ...

Ex Belgian tribal art collection.
Frontal posture, straight head, legs spread and arms pressed against the bust, this African Lobi statue, of a powerful character, offers a face whose modelling makes expressive features stand out.
This ancient wooden sculpture, the Bateba, was placed on the altar after a ritual to become the receptacle of a bush spirit, the Thil, and thus become an active, intermediary being who fights against sorcerers and all other harmful forces.
The lumpy surface is the result of ritual libations.
When honored, these spirits manifest their benevolence in the form of abundant rains, good health, numerous births; Ignored, they withdraw it and bring devastating epidemics, drought and suffering. These spirits convey to the diviners the laws ...

E.g. Belgian collection of African art Mercier.
Plots of elements bilongo (or bolongo) conferring a magical, offensive or defensive virtue, to this nkisi statue are housed in the reliquary, shuttered by a glass, arranged on the abdomen. The face expresses an aggressiveness reinforced by the hollowed-out, gaping mouth, and the woman's gaze. With contrasting colours, the effigy is threatening. The detail of the dorsal ribs could indicate, according to W.MACGAFFEY in "Treasuries of Africa", a respiratory disease.
Abrasions, desication cracks, erosions on the top of the head and base.
The Vili, the Lri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kongo formed the group Kôngo , led by King ntotela . Their kingdom reached its apogee in the 16th century with ...

In the 13th century, the Kongo people, led by their king Ne Kongo, settled in a region at the crossroads of the borders between present-day DRC, Angola and Gabon. Two centuries later, the Portuguese came into contact with the Kongo and converted their king to Christianity. Although monarchical, the Kongo political system had a democratic aspect because the king was actually placed at the head of the kingdom following an election held by a council of tribal governors. This king, also known as ntotela , controlled the appointment of court and provincial officials. The nganga, both healers, were in charge of religious activities and mediation with the God called Nzambi through consecrated figures named nkisi . These figures have a magical charge usually lodged on the abdomen behind a mirror ...

Used as part of divinatory practices, this type of statuette-bust, here in a metal cup, in a gourd in most cases, is surrounded by small plant, mineral and animal elements. The bust is sculpted so that the object can be grasped under the arms with iron rods, just like the big fetishes. These magical sculptures are used by the Kusu, The Southern Songye and the Hemba. The face of the fetish is cut with the features of the kifwebe mask, a perforation remains on the skull, in which the tip of a horn was to be embedded.
The Songye came from the Shaba region of the DRC and settled between the Lualaba River and the Sankuru River in the middle of the savannah and forests. They are governed by the yakitengé and by local leaders. The secret society Bwadi however, counterbalances their power. ...

Power fetishes in African art.
This naturalist figure with an aggressive gesture has an oval face characteristic of the Solongo of Angola, the latter supplying the Kongo clans. The glassy gaze of the pupils at the pinhead is wide open, which is the prerogative of an elder. Indeed, only middle-aged people can stare at us with such insistence in order to alert us to problems or odds. (The Kongo Gesture)
Placed on the abdomen, in a quadrangular cavity blocked by a glass, ingredients constitute a magical charge, whose iron nails that lard the piece strengthen the power. Clay libatory residues clumped on the surface, locally draped with textile strips.
Patine mate, kaolin libation residues.

In the Kongo kingdom, nganga took care of the rituals by activating a ...

Created with great sensitivity, this sculpture, which belonged to a lineage, reflects one of the many facets of the Dogon worldview. The statuette at the top represents the incarnation of an ancestor, the ladder allowing the ascent of spirits to the afterlife. The gradations also form an image of the different stages of an individual's life toward the ultimate goal. The gobo , iron hook, is stuck into the wood, recalling the sacred role of the blacksmith. Grainy sacrificial patina, light chips.
The Dakar-Djibouti mission of 1931, led by Marcel Griaule, was charged with studying in depth the rites of this population established in the region of the Bandiagara cliffs. The Dogon are thought to be composed of several peoples who found refuge there following repeated droughts or ...

In addition to their weapons and prestige objects and their funerary sculpture, the Sundi made use, individually and collectively, of conjuring fetishes equipped with a magical charge. The latter, protruding, takes the form of an amalgam or bilongo generally consisting of various ingredients from, among other things, the natural environment including red clay, red wood powder tukula, white clay pembe... Crusty patina. Cracks and slight lacks.
The Vili , the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo formed the Kôngo group, headed by the king ntotela . Their kingdom reached its peak in the 16th century with the ivory and copper trade and the slave trade. With the same beliefs and traditions, they produced a statuary endowed with a codified ...

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Power betiches nkonde in African art.
This naturalistic figure has an oval face characteristic of the Solongo of Angola, the latter supplying the Kongo clans. The glassy gaze of the pinheaded wards is wide open, which "constitutes the prerogative of an elder. Indeed, only the middle-aged can stare at us with such insistence in order to alert us to problems or blunders." ("The Kongo Gesture")
Placed on the abdomen, in a quadrangular cavity sealed with glass, various ingredients constitute a magical charge.
Matt, grainy patina, clay residue.

In the Kongo kingdom, the nganga performed rituals by activating a spiritual force with a nkondi (pl. nkissi). The term nkisi was later used to refer to notions of "sacred" or "divine". The most influential ...

This feminine figure collected at Porot Novo is devoid of ritual accessories. She springs from a fragment of wood on narrow legs. In the same axis, the bust is framed by half-bent arms that seem to be tightened on the abdomen in a protective gesture. Positioned high up, the small chest is pointed. An enigmatic face surmounts the whole. Weathered wood, granular furrowed surface of soft and satiny texture. Blackish prints resulting from libations.
The botchio (from bo : "evil spell" in Fon, and tchio , "corpse") erected at the top of a pole was erected at the entrance of the village or a house in order to keep away from it any threat, physical or spiritual. Some of them took minimalist forms, barely sketched around a central trunk. The multitude of gods fon (the vodun), ...

African statue Nkisi , nkishi (pl. mankishi )of the Songye, which has a head with stylized features like the kifwebe mask. The arms are positioned around a protruding umbilicus pointing beneath the textile of a red dress, providing, as was customary, space to grasp the sculpture with metal hooks. Here, the magical charge bishimba has probably been introduced at the top of the head from which a horn rises. Various ritual accessories also embellish the sculpture. Golden brown speckled patina. Eroded base.br> These protection fetishes for homes are among the most popular in Africa. The Nkisi plays the role of mediator between god and men, responsible for protecting against various evils. The larger figures are the collective property of an entire village, and the smaller figures ...

Belgian African tribal art collection.
Small figurine finely detailed and glossy by the manipulations, it would embody a twin bampundu kept by the surviving child, or one of the spouses of the mythical couple who were stored on an altar. The scarifications of the face here are punctiform, in discreet horizontal hatching on the bust. Shaded patina in the browns.
The Bemba, Bambembas, from Maniema, claim to be of Luba origin and settled on the shores of Lake Moero, near Zambia, and Lake Tanganyka. The Bemba participated in the 19th century in the slave trade by allying themselves with the slave king Msiri. Colonial policy dispersed them in the twentieth century. Their leader now reigns in Kasama, Zambia. They believe in a supreme god, Lesa, worship nature spirits, Ngulu, a ...