Tribal Art

Tribes in the southeastern region of the DRC around Lake Tanganyika, such as the Tumbwe and the Tabwa, worshiped the mipasi ancestors through sculptures held by chiefs or witch doctors. A magical charge ( dawa )was inserted at the top of the statues' heads. Our female figure does indeed have a charge inserted at the top of the head. The diviners-healers ngango used this type of statuette-fetish to reveal witchcraft and protect against malevolent spirits.
Satin golden brown patina, cracks and abrasions.

Simple cultivators without centralized power, the Tabwa federated around tribal chiefs after coming under the influence of the Luba. It was mainly during this period that their artistic current was expressed mainly through statues but also masks. The ...

Witnesses to the traditions of the Hopi Indian peoples of Arizona, Katsinam sculpted objects (song. Kachina) are used during traditional dances organized for the annual rain festivals. This Hopi-type mask, flanked by movable ears and a bird "beak", is topped with statuettes representing masked dancers. The polychrome matte patina, abrasions and small chips.

Ex-collection of French African art.
Named bitengi (sing.: itengi) this type of mask was used during funerals and initiations of young boys. Among the variety of African masks Punu, this version offers a face topped with two parallel shells framed by quilts. The traditional scarifications in relief "mabinda" adorn the face. Abraded matte patina. Erosions, gaps.
Height on base: 46 cm.
The masks of the Punus were associated with the various secret societies of Gabon, including the Bwiti, Bwete, and the Mwiri ("to lead"), the latter spanning several levels of initiation. These powerful societies, which also had a judicial function, included several dances, including the leopard dance, the Esomba, the Mukuyi, and the Okuyi dance, on stilts, remaining the most widespread. . ...

The clearly contrasting proportions of this Dogon sculpture are striking here, highlighting the supernatural nature of the subject.
Old restoration of an arm. Matte patina speckled golden brown. Minor desiccation cracks.
In Dogon mythology, one of the Nommos, ancestors of men resurrected by the creator god Amma, descended to earth carried by an ark transformed into a horse. In addition, the highest authority of the Dogon people, the religious leader named Hogon, paraded on his mount during his enthronement because according to custom he should not set foot on the ground. In the region of the Sangha cliffs, inaccessible on horseback, the priests wore it, while neighing in reference to the mythical ancestor Nommo. The rider and his horse are a theme frequently treated among ...

Emblem of feminine beauty, always worn by initiates of higher rank, this ancient African mask embodying an ancestor is embellished with a curly hairstyle representing that, modeled in clay, of Tschokwe women. The features offer great expressiveness, curls originally adorned the ears. Deep nuanced, satin patina. Abrasions, losses. Height on base: 46 cm.
The African Chokwe pwo masks, among the numerous akishi masks (sing: mukishi, indicating power) of African Chokwe art, embody an ideal of beauty, Mwana Pwo, or the Pwo woman and appear today during festive ceremonies. The pwo are believed to bring fertility and prosperity to the community. The characteristic patterns present on the forehead, and sometimes on the cheekbones, are part of the Chokwe aesthetic canons but also served ...

This Dogon statue, narrow, with stretched limbs, represents a kneeling woman. Repeated ritual libations have given the surface a grainy appearance. The desiccated, cracked wood bears the marks of time. 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 the object of worship by the entire community when they commemorate, for example, the founding of the village. These statues, sometimes embodying the nyama of the deceased, are placed on ancestor altars and participate in various rituals including those of the seed and harvest periods. Their functions, however, remain little known. In parallel with Islam, Dogon religious rites are organized around four main cults: the Lebe , relating to ...

Lobi sculptures and African art.
Naturalist carved figurine with a protective purpose, polished by use.
These statuettes were placed on the altar after a ritual to be the receptacle of a bush spirit, the Thil, and thus become an active being, an intermediary fighting against wizards and all other harmful forces. When honored, these spirits would manifest their benevolence in the form of abundant rains, good health, and numerous births; ignored, they would withdraw it and bring devastating epidemics, drought, and suffering.
They are supposed to transmit to the diviners the laws that the followers must follow in order to enjoy their protection.
They are represented by wooden or copper sculptures called Bateba (large or small, figurative or abstract, they adopt ...

Like their Kuba neighbors, the Lele have a wide variety of ceremonial sculptures, such as this cup used during divination rites, pacts, ritual ceremonies. This copy stands out thanks to its original design, giving it great elegance.
Beautiful glossy dark patina. Desication cracks.
The Kuba are renowned for the refinement of prestige items created for members of the high ranks of their society. Several Kuba groups indeed produced anthropomorphic objects with refined motifs including cups, drinking horns and goblets. The Lele are established in the west of the Kuba kingdom, at the confluence of the Kasai and Bashilele rivers. The intercultural exchanges between the Bushoong of the Kuba territory and the Lele have made the attribution of certain objects difficult, because ...

A mutation of the Fang Ngil mask, the African masks Bikereu caricatured European settlers and appeared after the colonizing government banned the Ngil mask of justice, but have an analogous function. The eyebrows form a prominent arch which extends into the bridge of the nose, under which a mustache-shaped shape surmounts a toothed grin.

Abraded matte patina, old restoration, cracks and erosions. Height on base: 75 cm.
Among the Fang, the male brotherhood of Ngil had the main task of fighting against sorcerers and evildoers. These masks were also worn for the initiation of its new members. Their white color, a reference to the deceased, means that the mask embodied an ancestral spirit. The mask has forbidding features, meant to surprise, accompanied by numerous ...

Sometimes called a "settler", this African statuette forms the incarnation of a spiritual husband, sculpted according to the indications of the diviner. In "African art, Western eyes" Susan Vogel reports that a figure of this type (p.255), idealized spouse, is represented dressed in a city outfit because the spouse is supposed to have a job in city. The earthly spouse, through the cult rendered to this spiritual double, expects to have his resources, his favors and his protection unfailingly. 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 the cults and masks.
Irregular polychrome patina, abrasions. Desication cracks ...

This is a desecrated two-headed dog sculpture, the center of which carried a "bishimba" magic charge. The Kongo use this type of nkisi object to try to resolve a difficulty and to intimidate or repel the person who is causing it. Among the Kongo, the dog, renowned for its knowledge of the supernatural world, its flair and its vision, had the role of mediator between the living and the dead. 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. With the same beliefs and traditions, they produced a statuary endowed with a codified gesture in relation to their vision of the world. Desication cracks, brown ...

Established in a posture highlighting the twins perched on each of her knees, this altar figure is wearing braids and a top bun. Its lower limbs seem to merge with the feet of the circular seat. Dense crusty patina. Desication cracks.
Carved for the most part on order placed by a family, the Dogon statues can also be the object of worship on the part of the whole community. 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 masks concerning the funeral.

With arcades cut at an angle, overhanging a face with a neutral physiognomy, this type ofAfrican mask intended to unmask sorcerers was carved on the eve of ceremonies. Accompanied by words, gestures, dances and sacrifices, it also intervened during initiations out of sight of the profane. Matte crusty patina. Abrasions, desication cracks, lacks.
Height on base: 54 cm.
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 dread. This type of mask was used by the ngil religious and judicial male society which no longer exists today. This secret society was in charge of initiations and ...

The vigorous size of this mumuye figure gave rise to a powerful anatomy of dynamic aspect. The sagittal crest, framed by thick distended lobes, composes like a helmet around summarily traced features, concentrated under the hairstyle. Velvety matte patina, lacks.
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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 speakers of the Adamawa language 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, among whom are elected the rulers, and those of the ...

African statue of "little favourite", Nyeleni in Bambara, represented frontally, with traditional scarified motifs. She displays the classic criteria associated with fertility, oblong breasts and a prominent abdomen. Gray brown matte patina. Slight erosions.
The Bambara of central and southern Mali belong to the large Mande group, like the Soninke and the Malinke. They believe in the existence of a creator god generically called Ngala who maintains order in the universe. Large masked parties close the initiation rites of the dyo association and the gwan ritual of the Bambara in the south of the Bambara country. Spread over a period of seven years for men, they are less demanding for women. The new initiates then celebrate, in groups, from village to village, their symbolic ...

African sculpture associated with the mythical ancestor Oso of the Kouyou, a neighboring group of the Punu in the Republic of Congo. The face and body bear many scarified patterns, and the mouth reveals sharp teeth. The subject wearing a totemic animal is represented sitting on a janiform mask.
Polychrome matte patina. Desication erosions and cracks.
Formerly, the Kouyou were divided into two totemic clans: in the West that of the panther, and in the East that of the snake. A secret men's association, Ottoté, played an important political role in the appointment of chiefs. The initiation of young people ended with the revelation of the serpent god Ebongo represented in the form of a head. The Kibe-kibe or Kebekebe dances, which accompanied the ceremony, reactivated the ...