Tribal Art

French African tribal art collection.
Small Dogon altar figure, with a flat face extending to the center of the bust. A posture of devotion for this figure of ancestor coated with a black crusty patina resulting from periodic ritual unctions.
Carved for the most part on commission by a family, Dogon statues can also be the object of worship by the entire community when they commemorate, for example, the founding of the village. However, little is known about their functions. Alongside Islam, Dogon religious rites are organized around four main cults: the Lebe, 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 Binou priest; and the mask society ...

The Baga live along the Atlantic coast of the Republic of Guinea, in West Africa. They are one of the smallest ethnic groups in Guinea, and have lived relatively isolated from their neighbors due to the vast swamps that surround them. They did, however, leave a vast artistic legacy, which includes crests, figurative sculptures, masks, and objects of daily use such as musical instruments. This drum called timba , and matimbo in neighboring groups, was played during initiation ceremonies for members of the A-Tekan , on the occasion of the funerals of its members or even for the marriage of their daughters. It is by its size that this drum is distinguished from other drums used in the A-Tekan, which requires its user to remain standing to play the instrument. He also ...

Support of the ritualist named babalawo (or Babalao, or Babaal-wo, pronounced Baba-a-l'wo), priest of Ifa, in the Yoruba language, these trays exist in three forms. They are intended for ifa, a system of divination that represents the teachings of the orisha Orunmila, orisha of Wisdom. The babalawo claim to be securing the future through their communication with Orunmila. In Yoruba thought in Nigeria, orishas form a variety of divine spirits controlling natural forces. They are found mainly in Yoruba cosmogony but more widely in East West Africa in the diasporas of Central and South America. This tablet was used in Abomey, among the Yorubas of Benin.The center of the plateau, aarin opon , forms a picture in which the dust of wood allows the priest-soothsayer to trace the solutions to his ...

French African art collection.
Portable altar dedicated to the "inner head", on which an abundance of cowries refers to prosperity through their use of old coins but also to spirituality. The elaborate and refined ornamentation, the diversity of the elements and materials that compose it, indicate the social rank of the owner of this "house of the head". For the Yoruba, the "inner head", a metaphysical reflection of the physical head, contains the essence of being in intimate relationship with the "Supreme Being". (pl.11, "Yoruba" B.Lawal, ed. 5Continents)
Centered on the veneration of its gods, or orisà, the Yoruba religion relies on artistic sculptures with coded messages (aroko). They are designed by the sculptors at the request of the followers, soothsayers and their ...

French African tribal art collection.
Accompanying the rites of circumcision in the Ivindo valley, this rare mask bearing a high blade crest is laterally extended by excrescences which frame a heart-shaped face, and is divided into two tones. The colors are enhanced with a clear pastillage evoking the panther. The role of the mask was to entertain or impress by begging for donations for young guests at ceremonies. The wearer's costume was made of raffia fibers. Beneath arches in relief, protruding eyelids shelter perforations arranged for vision. The long triangular nose draws the eye to a narrow, white-lipped mouth. Use erosions and abrasions. Velvety matte patina. Native restoration.
The Mahongwe, Obamba, Shamayé and Sango form with the Kota a group with similar rites and ...

Witnesses to the traditions of the Hopi Indian peoples of Arizona, the sculpted Katsinam objects (song. Kachina) are expressed during traditional dances accompanying the annual festivals in favor of the rain. Traditional Kachina dolls are, for the Amerindian Pueblo group (Hopi, Zuni, Tewa Village, Acoma Pueblo and Laguna Pueblo), educational tools offered to children at the end of ritual celebrations. These statuettes, embodying a great diversity of spirits, represent the katchina dancers and the colors are associated with the cardinal points. The patina is matte and velvety, minor abrasions.

On the border of India and Myanmar (Burma, or Union of Burma in English) the Nagas use these machetes called dao worn in wide belts. The belt forms a solid frame made of braided vegetable fibers, extended by the rectangular and flat wooden case. The blade is held in its sheath by a braided wicker cord, stretched on either side of the wooden element. The dao is used for war purposes, but also for agricultural work and for everyday activities.
Usage abrasions.

This piece is accompanied by a certificate from Mr. Pierre Vérité dating from 1985 (photo). From a basketry base rises a head, an ideal of feminine beauty for the Ejagham. The wooden structure is covered with animal skin, usually antelope. The extravagant headdress composed of four volute outgrowths would represent the hair extensions of young girls at the end of their period of initiatory reclusion. The dancer's costume was made up of a large lattice of raffia cords and, more recently, of cotton fabric. The masks were coated with palm oil before use, and placed in daylight so that the leather would soften and take on a satisfactory sheen. Leopard societies, such as the male Kpe, Ngbe society among the Aro, used this crest design for initiation ceremonies or funerals of association ...

Divided into different areas of contrasting colors, this mask with an unusual structure offers a long rectangular nose fitting the volume of the forehead. Large cavities make up the look, a fine line marks the mouth in the lower end. The Quai Branly museum has a similar example. This type of igbo-ada mask appears during the dry season to highlight notions of virility. Abraded matte patina. Erosions and gaps.
The Igbo are settled in the southern Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The Ada are an Igbo subgroup established in southeastern Nigeria. They managed to combine a deep sense of individuality with an equally strong sense of belonging to the group. Their political system is complex and little known. The village is the most important social unit, the smallest being the extended ...

Collection of African French art
Among the elements of traditional furniture from East Africa, this African neckrest with a heterogeneous patina lustrous by use bears a decoration consisting of a series of small notches. More than eighty ethnic groups in Ethiopia have produced different headrests for individual use named yagerteras, or “my country pillows” or “Boraati” (“tomorrow you”).
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Over time, the realization becoming more complex until they became real small masterpieces of sculpture, they also became individual objects of prestige and power, placed on family or collective altars. These objects were originally intended to protect the elaborate hairstyles of their owner (male or female) during the night. But among the Turkana, for example, it is the emblem of the ...

The ritual consumption of palm wine from an individual cup, Kopa, Koopha, was the prerogative of the lineage head or matrilineal supreme head during certain ceremonies, such as a marriage. It was then passed on to the next generation. This yaka-type dish, which included regalia, prestigious objects symbolizing status and reserved for the chieftaincy, offers symbols carved in high relief. Similar models named koopha were used by the Yaka ( Fig.6 p.17 in "Yaka" ed. 5Continents. ) Glossy mahogany patina.
The Suku and Yaka ethnic groups, established in a region between the Kwango and Kwilu rivers, in the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo, recognize common origins and have certain similar social structures and cultural practices. The presence of Holo and Kongo among them in ...

N'duleri-style Dogon statue depicting a griot with a stringed musical instrument, a lute named djéli-n'goni among the Bambara (lute of the griots), or n' koni. The sound box was made of half a calabash. Miniature characters, relating to the myths of the Dogon creation, form the uprights of the seat or seat the ancestor. These symbols, associated with the role of music in rituals, refer to the magical nature of sculpture. Brown patina, eroded oiled surface.
Sculpted for the most part on order placed by a family and in this case arranged on the family altar Tiré Kabou, Dogon tribal statues can also be the object of worship on the part of the whole community when they commemorate, for example, the founding of the village. These statues, sometimes embodying the nyama of the ...

Acquired in Savalou, Benin by the owner, this boccio features a figure with arms tightened around the trunk and comes in rounded shapes. A thin cotton cloth, draped around the legs, was knotted on the object partially coated with ochre clay. Very good condition.
The botchio (from bo: 'evil' in fon, and tchio , 'cadau') erected at the top of a pole was erected at the entrance of the village or a house in order to remove any threat, physical or spiritual. Some of them took minimalist forms, barely put on around a central trunk. The multitude of gods fon (the vodun), similar to those of Yoruba under different names, is represented by fetishes of all shapes and kinds. Their sanctuaries can be found in Togo, Dahomey, and western Nigeria. Statuettes embodying the legba protectors of the ...

Traditional shield carved in monoxyle wood, in the shape of a long hourglass. The concave surface tapers in the center, and features a thick grip on the reverse. The wood is dyed with coloring plant and mineral decoctions and inlaid with mother-of-pearl elements. "Salawaku" means "protection", the shield symbolizes a body, and the inlaid patterns of the parts of this anatomy. The drop-shaped inlays would be associated with the eyes, the number of which is related to the enemies that the ancestors defeated. The shield can be part of the dowry and is carried in the left hand during the cakalele warrior dance or the hoyla, ceremonial wedding dance.

Collection of French Asian art.
This rice-harvesting sickle, named Kândiev trâkong in Cambodia, is made of buffalo horn, the smooth and oiled surface of which has a khaki tint. Its curve is inspired by the naga serpent and traditional Southeast Asian myths. Copper rings surround the handle, the end of which is lined with brass and copper. The cutting edge of the blade offers a very finely serrated edge.
Old piece whose balance of curved shapes is enhanced by a quality base.

French African art collection.
African statuette of an altar belonging to a widespread cult among the animist Idoma as well as among the Igala and the Yoruba of the South. This traditional sculpture is supposed to promote fertility and protect offspring. These statues which benefited from offerings were preserved in sanctuaries. Chipped reddish-brown patina, kaolin residue around the eyes. Losses (feet), desication cracks.
The Idoma live at the confluence of the Bénué 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 neighbours. Royal lineage members of their oglinye society, glorifying courage, wear masks and crests during ...

This naturalistic sculpture depicts a vigorous figure well camped on very large digitized feet, characteristic of the dan sculpture. Ritual anointings left crusty residues on the surface. The necklace accessorized with a cauri, symbol of fertility and wealth, also has a magical reach. Abraded spotted patina.
As gifts of women, food, festive ceremonies and honorable status once rewarded the dan sculptors to whom this talent was granted during a dream. The latter was the means of communication of Du, invisible spiritual power, with men. Statuary, rare, played a prestigious role with its holder. These are mainly effigies of wives, la m , wooden human beings. These are not incarnations of spirits or effigies of ancestors, but prestigious figures representing living people, often ...

Enthronement and funeral rites in African art
More than twenty types of masks are used among the Kuba, with meanings and functions that vary from group to group. Ritual ceremonies were an opportunity to display decorative arts and masks, in order to honor the spirit of the deceased or to honor the king.
Associated with dances that took place in the royal enclosure, this copy is known as Nady Amwaash (Ngaady Un Mwash) and embodies Woot's wife/sister, a character said to have been introduced in order to give more prominence to the role of women. Sporting the headdress of the Kuba queens behind a shaved forehead, this mask comes complete with painted geometric designs and trim running along the nose between the blind eyes. Formerly used currency, cowries refer to wealth and ...

Wearing a fishnet that was made from coral beads, this late type head represents a dignitary from Benin. A symbol of wealth, this coral reserved for kings and dignitaries of the palace had to be regularly anointed with the blood of victims in order to acquire magical power. Dark patina, ocher reflections.
The many bronze heads and statues created with lost wax by the craftsmen of Benin were reserved for the exclusive use of the inhabitants of the royal palace and, most often, placed on altars consecrated by each new oba, king of the ethnic group. . These rectangular altars were surmounted by heads, statues, carved ivory tusks, bells and staves. The Oba commemorated was thereby subject to offerings in order to come into contact with his spirit. Another tradition also evokes the ...

Belgian African Art Collection.
People with diverse traditions have settled in the savannah north of the Niger and Benué rivers. The tiv originating in Cameroon are composed of farmers living on the banks of the left bank of the Benué. Their statues are of two types : of a naturalist type, these figures take the form of female representations, some of which formed the top of posts of reception boxes. The seconds, called ihambé, associated with fertility, feature seated characters. Witchcraft, in the hands of the elders through fetishes, pervades tiv society.
Akumbo family protective fetishes are kept in individual huts. It is during births, hunting and agrarian rituals that their role comes into play. They are also supposed to protect against the ancient transformed into ...

In African art, sowei form an idealized representation of female beauty through Mende culture. They embody aquatic spirits. This cephalomorphic mask forms a copy of the type of masks named bundu the most important in the Mendes. The face has a high bulging forehead forming the top half, while the features, delicately chiseled, concentrate in the lower part. The face seems to be engulfed in a neck where the folds appear an abundance of flesh, a symbol of prosperity.
Peint in black or tinted with a brush of leaves, the mask was then rubbed with palm oil. Mate patina, grainy residual inlays, erosions, slight cracks of desication.br-The cultures Mende, Vaï and Gola, Sierra Leone, Liberia and the west coast of Guinea, are known in African art for the masks and especially those of the ...