Tribal Art

Collection of French African art.
Schematic African doll amulet. Beautiful brown patina, alterations from use.
When menstruation appears, in Africa, the young girl is considered a potential mother, aided by ritual sculptures. During the initiatory period of seclusion, the doll, which requires care, becomes the young girl's only companion. Subsequently, it will be carried on the back, or tied around the neck. Wooden dolls (biiga), carved in their free time by blacksmiths in Burkina Faso, are given to girls and boys by their parents. The wealthier Mossi buy plastic dolls. In the case where the girl does not give birth, a larger doll is sculpted to treat her like a real newborn. The doll will not be abandoned after the birth of the child, the mother will continue to take ...

Baoule male statue evoking a "Blolo bian", sculpted to embody the husband of the "beyond", according to the instructions of the diviners. Neat statue, sculpted with many details, coated with a black patina.
Around sixty ethnic groups populate Ivory Coast, including the Baoulé, in the center, Akans from Ghana, a people of the savannah, practicing hunting and agriculture just like the Gouro from whom they borrowed their ritual cults and masks. carved. Two types of statues are produced by the Baoulé, Baulé, in the ritual context: The Waka-Sona statues, "being of wood" in baoulé, evoke an assié oussou, being of the earth. They are part of a type of statue intended to be used as a medium tool by the komien diviners, the latter being selected by the asye usu spirits in order to ...

Small male figure associated with the cult of the ancestors, carved in dense wood then carefully veneered, using fine staples, with copper metal sheets with khaki reflections. Encased in a thick neck, the head offers a flat face whose summary features are distinguished by their exorbitant pupils. The bust of the subject, on which the folded arms are concentrated, is supported by bent legs whose roundness expresses power. The posture would be one of those accompanying ceremonial dances. The metal is engraved with patterns evoking tribal body markings and braids highlighting the crested headdress.
The Mbete, Ambete, form a tribe of Gabon, on the border of the Middle Congo, close to the Obamba and the Pounou, whose history has been marked by a long-term conflict against the Teke. ...

Nature spirits, the ngesh , were believed to be embodied in Kuba masks during the dances. The footprints of the dancers were then erased so as not to "hurt" the women venturing into the dance area. The mask on the other side appeared during initiation ceremonies, sometimes at the funerals of notables. This warrior mask, not belonging to the royal masks, named Ishyeen imaalu and also Pwoom itok , belonged to the babende society. It has exorbitant conical pupils set off by eyebrows extended with horns that refer to warrior headdresses. The pigments of the decorative motifs remain very weakly visible. Misses and cracks of desiccation. Height on base: 44 cm. The Kuba kingdom was founded in the 16th century by the main Bushoong tribe which is still ruled by a king today, and whose ...

This Lobi statuette "Bateba" was placed on the altar after a ritual to become the receptacle of a bush spirit, the Thil, and thus become an active being, an intermediary who fights against sorcerers and all other evil forces. The small spherical head, slightly tilted to the side, surmounts a narrow bust with drooping shoulders and arms that are placed alongside the body. The figure stands upright on wide feet. Golden brown glossy surface showing the wood grain.
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 transmit to the diviners the laws that the followers must follow to receive their protection.
They ...

“Reliquary figure” of the Bwete devoid of its charge. Cut according to traditional conventions, it stands out thanks to its geometric head with a flat face framed by protruding ears, perched on a long neck lined with copper spirals. Lustrous patina, erosions and desiccation cracks.
Among the Shira-Punu group, the Massango, Mashango, Sango, Sangu, established themselves on the Chaillu massif in Gabon and in the province of Ngounié. The use of baskets and also reliquary packages with bones of the deceased, on which sculptures of this type were enthroned, was widespread throughout Gabon, among the Fang, the Kota, but also the Mitsogho and the Massango, among whom this cult takes the name of Bumba, Mbumba. The sculptures playing the role of "medium" between the living and the ...

Formerly intended to unmask sorcerers, this African mask of the fang type was cut on the eve of ceremonies. It is out of the sight of lay people that, accompanied by words, gestures, dances and sacrifices, he also intervened during initiations. Velvety matte patina. Abrasions.
Among the Fang, established in a region extending from Yaoundé in Cameroon to Ogooué in Gabon, the appearance of these masks generally coated with kaolin (the white color evokes the power of the ancestors), in the middle of the night, could cause fear. This type of mask was used by the Ngil religious and judicial male society which no longer exists today. This secret society was responsible for initiations and fought against witchcraft. The ngil was a rite of purifying fire symbolized by the gorilla. ...

Collection ofAfrican artBelgian.
The Kuba are renowned for the refinement of prestige objects created for members of the high ranks of their society. The Lélé live to the west of the Kuba kingdom and share common cultural specificities with the Bushoong of the Kuba country. Both groups adorn their prestige objects with similar motifs. The only ethnic group to create a variety of lidded containers in which individual goods were stored, the Kuba decorated them with designs similar to those on embroidered textiles. The walls of this box, equipped with a sculpted handle, are in fact finely chiseled with a network of geometric patterns. Golden brown patina. Very good state.

These late sculptures, which were made when the king died, represent an oba whose neck is encircled with multiple necklaces of coral beads. His "oro" headdress is surmounted by an excrescence on which appears the king sitting with his ceremonial sword.
Brown patina, golden reflections.
African art from Benin is described as court art because it is closely associated with the king, known as Oba. The tradition of bronze court objects from the Benin Kingdom dates back to the 14th century. The numerous 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, more often than not, placed on altars consecrated by each new Oba. These rectangular altars were surmounted by heads, statues, carved ...

Rare mask from the Bafut chiefdom, on the Bamenda plateau. This mask with the rounded cheeks of a blower, a plastic tradition of the Grasslands, wears a royal headdress offering stylized zoomorphic motifs. It was worn on the top of the head. Located in the border region of Nigeria, the North-West province of Cameroon, Grassland, is made up of several ethnic groups including the Bagam. Several centralized chiefdoms, or kingdoms, based on customary associations, secret societies, are organized around the Fon who is said to have broad supernatural powers including the ability to transform into an animal. Lineage societies, during ritual ceremonies, use this type of funerary and royal masks, with varied functions depending on the chiefdoms. Satin brown patina, abrasions, small accidents.

African sculpture of Mbumba Sango reliquary, small in size, offering a flat face overlooking a long neck decorated with metal spirals. The abstract morphology forms a diamond, respecting traditional standards. Glossy brown patina, copper metal.
Among the Shira-Punu group, the Massango, Mashango, Sango, Sangu, established themselves on the Chaillu massif in Gabon and in the province of Ngounié. The use of baskets and also reliquary packages with bones of the deceased, on which sculptures of this type were enthroned, was widespread throughout Gabon, among the Fang, the Kota, but also the Mitsogho and the Massango, among whom this cult takes the name of Bumba, Mbumba. The sculptures playing the role of "medium" between the living and the dead who watched over their ...

This female figure with slender arms, an arched bust, wears traditional scarifications and tattoos. The body stretched forward, the hands resting on the abdomen, highlight the umbilicus, symbol of filiation. Cracks and abrasions. Satin patina.
The Senoufos, the name given to them by French settlers, are mainly made up of farmers who have dispersed between Mali, Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso. Councils of elders, headed by an elected chief, administer Senufo villages. Each of them has its own Poro association which initiates young boys from the age of seven in a succession of three cycles lasting seven years. They gather in a sacred enclosure called sinzanga located near the village, among the trees. Upon the death of one of the members of the Poro, the statues named pombibele were ...

The "inverted doubles" in the African art sculptures of Les Baule
Offering crystallized residues of ritual practices, this statuette Blobo bia, or bloblo bla, embodies a spiritual spouse. She adopts the traditional posture, hands enhancing the umbilical region. This type of object is carved according to the indications of the diviner. Chipped polychrome patina. Desication cracks.
About sixty ethnic groups populate Côte d'Ivoire, including the Baoulé, in the center, Akans from Ghana, people of the savannah, practicing hunting and agriculture just like the Gouro from whom they borrowed ritual cults and masks carved. Two types of statues are produced by the Baoulé , Baulé , within the ritual framework: The Waka-Sona statues, "being of wood" in baoulé, evoke a assié oussou, ...

This ritual sculpture, plated with metal sheets according to the kota tradition, forms a stylized image of the ancestor, a coat of arms also for the clan, and is generally distinguished by the shape of the headdress, which varies according to the region.
The Kota inhabit the eastern part of Gabon, which is rich in iron ore, and some in the Republic of Congo. The blacksmith, in addition to wood carving, made tools for agricultural work as well as ritual weapons. The sculptures playing the role of "medium" between the living and the dead who watched over the descendants, were associated with the rites at bwete , comparable to those of the Fang . They are sometimes bifaces, the mbulu-viti, symbolizing the masculine and feminine aspect at the same time. This type of room, called ...

African sculpture whose singular face offers featureless features and a gaping mouth. The massive head, set into prominent shoulders, is decorated with a crest and a goatee. The volume of the pelvis is supported by wide, crenellated, arched legs. This type of statue was intended for funeral and initiation rites. Thick cracked patina, drying cracks.

The Kaka, or Keaka, ethnic group, so named by the German settlers, is located in a border area between Nigeria and Cameroon. Their statuary demonstrates a certain influence from other ethnic groups such as the Mumuye whose statues also present short, bent legs topped by a slender body. Their very thick and crusty patina, their wide feet and their wide open mouth are, however, typical features allowing them to be distinguished from ...

Stringed instrument whose sound box is extended by a handle with a pattern sculpted in the round. The motif refers to the protective fetish of the Songye, here in the form of an exuberant artistically produced subject. Satin black brown patina.
In the 16th century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle on the left bank of the Lualaba. Their society is organized in a patriarchal way. Their history is inseparable from that of the Luba to which they are related through common ancestors.
The Songyes created impressive statues with powerful features are often used during secret ceremonies, covered with accessories like feathers, skin and a horn full of magical charge.
Very present in their society, divination made it possible to discover sorcerers and to shed ...

Among the most iconic African masks, this sculpture stood out among the eleven types of Dan masks (Fisher and Himmelheber) because of its circularly hollowed out eyes to allow for better vision. These masks named gunye ge "racing masks," with an oval face and slightly concave center, were produced among the northern Dan and intended for participation in racing events. As for the zapkei, they intervene to prevent the spread of domestic fires during the dry seasons. Armed with a stick, they threaten unwary women and confiscate an object as a fine. Some of these masks ,the go ge , provided with a particularly sophisticated braided headdress, were only exceptionally used .
Mask on base : 43 cm
Black patina with a satin touch, granular residual inlays at the top.

Rare Byeri ancestor figure, a singularly naturalistic work of a woman with a muscular and fleshy body. The crested headdress is underlined with metal, linear scarifications vertically divide the face.
Velvety patina, abrasions of use and erosions of the base. Desication crack.
The peoples known as the Fang, or "Pahouins", qualified as conquering warriors, invaded by successive leaps, from village to village, the entire vast region between the Sanaga in Cameroon and the Ogooué in Gabon, between the 18th and the beginning of the 20th century. The boxes containing the relics of illustrious ancestors were guarded by the oldest man in the village, the "esa". Surmounted by a statue or a head that acted as guardian of the "byeri" boxes, they were stored in a dark corner of ...

The Ijos in the centre produce relatively schematic sculptures associated with water geniuses (owuamapu), such as this head with a stretched face, on which the features protrude under a tubular forehead. Magical virtues were attributed to this type of sculpture. Many tribes are convinced that these objects acquire their powers through the rites and consecrations to which they are subjected and during which libations and dances can be performed. Interesting grainy grey patina, locally cracked. Height on a base: 52 cm.

The Ijaw are a group of Peoples of West Africa, mainly present in southern Nigeria, in the Niger Delta. At the beginning of the 17th century they migrated further west of the continent to form the Krou peoples of Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Guinea and Sierra ...

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 ...

Ex Italian tribal art collection.
The traditional arts of Western Indonesia are generally marked by the influence of Islam, Buddhism, and Balinese Hinduism. Thus Sumatra, among the islands of Southeast Asia, has inherited Asian theatrical traditions. It is here through an idealized naturalism that this sculpted head puppet shows the link between the human community and that of the ancestors. The delicacy of the features suggests in this case that it would be a character of high rank, whose peaceful and benevolent physiognomy is veiled by a subtle frown.
By transmitting the perception of beauty, the Batak of North Sumatra excel in the art of sculpture. The puppets and heads si galegale stem from a funerary tradition where the carved object replaces, when necessary, the ...