Tribal Art

In African art among the Mende, sowei masks embody aquatic spirits. This ancient African mask called bundu offers a braided hairstyle forming a unique assembly. The face sinks into rings of flesh, a feminine ideal linked to prosperity.
Painted black or tinted with a leaf wash, the mask was then rubbed with palm oil. Soft, satiny patina, erosions and desication cracks.br> The Mende, Vai and Gola cultures of Sierra Leone, Liberia and the west coast of Guinea are known for the helmet masks of the female initiation society Sandé which prepares young girls for the marriage . The male society is the Poro society. Relatively rare in sub-Saharan Africa, these masks are made by men and worn by women.
To close the rituals, a "spirit" appears, wearing this mask lined with long fibers of ...

African animal figure Nkisi (pl. mankishi ) of "koso" type, receptacle of magic ingredients bishimba. The addition of metal accessories, leather pouches and cords, was supposed to increase the power of the fetish. Mediator between the living and the dead for the Kongo, the dog was renowned for its knowledge of the supernatural world, its flair and its vision. Golden brown satin patina, abrasions.
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.

Of large size, this African mask gelede features a face with plump volumes, framed by high ears and a striated beard. The pupils of protruding eyes are pierced. Polychrome patina with slightly grainy relief. Abrasions and losses (base).
The Gelede country in Nigeria pays tribute to mothers, especially the oldest among them, whose powers are said to be comparable to those of the Yoruba gods, or orisa, and the ancestors, osi< /i> and which can be used for the benefit but also for the misfortune of society. In the latter case these women are named aje. Masked ceremonies, through performances using masks, costumes and dances, are meant to urge mothers to use their extraordinary qualities for peacemaking and constructive purposes, for the good of society. (Sources: Africa, ed. ...

Old Dogon attic shutter, fitted with its lock. It is made up of two panels joined by metal staples that solidify copper plates. The lock bears fine linear patterns. Grainy brown patina, ocher inlays.
The motifs present on the doors in Mali, apart from their decorative value, are intended to deter the intruder, whether human or animal, from entering. The locks, like the doors, are cut in wood chosen according to the function of the building in which they will be used. Because each plant is attributed specific virtues.

Among the Kongo chiefs at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the crucifix was used, among the chiefly regalia, as a symbol of the power of authority. A ceremony during the investiture of the chief required that the future ruler receive from the hands of a dignitary, during a codified ritual, a nkangi kiditu. This badge of power, inspired by ancient Christian crucifixes imported by the Portuguese in the 16th century, could also have a therapeutic function, and, in addition to various uses, be brandished during funeral ceremonies during which the object was subjected to libations. palm oil or palm wine.
Height on base: 28 cm.
The cross is not a motif specific to the Christian world, the ...

The African art of the Wé people and its African warrior masks
Various excrescences compose this mask whose upholstery nails raise the dark patina. The forehead evokes a warrior's helmet, typical of these masks supposed to cause fear. It is mainly in the west of the Ivory Coast that the Bété use masks whose style was influenced by the society of the gla glazed populations Wobé and Guéré , group called Wé or "the men who forgive easily", itself belonging to the cultural group Krou , these traditions having been transmitted and taught to them by the Nyabwa . Height on pedestal : 42 cm.
Of warrior origin but also involved in conflict resolution, this sacred mask is worn with amulets that protect its wearer from its power against witchcraft. These masks are made ...

A concave face, crowned with a thick crown of cowries extended by a canvas chin strap tight around the head, composes this African mask called "racing". The pupils are rimmed with metal, the features sculpted with precision. Shaded brown satin patina. Height on base: 39 cm.
Masks equipped with round orbits (gunye ge), facilitating vision, are part of the set of northern Dan masks and are used for racing events during the dry season. The zapkei ge, also equipped with circular orbits, are responsible for preventing fires by watching over domestic fires. Among the Dan, or Yacouba, living in the west of the Ivory Coast and in Liberia, the "dü" force which would animate the world would manifest itself in the sculpted masks. According to the Dan, the spirits indicate how to name the mask ...

Ex-collection of Belgian African tribal art.

The theme of the woman breastfeeding her child forms a frequent subject in the statuary urohobo, idoma, afo and igbo. The sculpture would embody an edjo. It stands out from the igbo sculpture thanks to the deep vertical facial scarifications. Yellow ochre crusty patina, locally flaked. Damaged base, erosion and desication cracks.
Urhobos, living near the northwest of the Niger Delta River, are the main ethnic group in The Delta State among the 36 states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They speak Urhobo, a language of the Niger-Congo group. Together with the Isoko, whose art is close, they are collectively known as Sobo. Their large sculptures depicting the spirits of nature, edjo, or the founding ancestors of the clan, to whom ...

Named Yo domolo , or Yo dyommodo, this cane is the emblem of the yona association of "thieves rituals that are sometimes found on the altars and in the sanctuaries of the binu. The stick yo domolo evokes the stylized silhouette of a horse's head. The sculpted subjects are associated with the "Nommos" of the episodes complexes of Dogon mythology. Matte light brown patina.
The Dogon are a people renowned for their cosmogony, their esotericism, their myths and legends. Their population is estimated at around 300,000 souls living in the southwest of the Niger bend in the Mopti region of Mali. The villages are often perched on top of the scree on the side of the hills, according to a unique architecture. Remains of old steelworks on the Bandiagara plateau, dating from the ...

The Gelede in African Art. Gelede mask depicting a face topped with an extended structure of an animal motif. In Nigeria, also in Benin, this African mask worn on the top of the head is used for the rejoicing dances of the Gelede society, and on the occasion of the funerals of its followers. These masks occur in pairs, each with a specific name. Some can be used for decades before being replaced. Matte polychrome patina partially chipped, desiccation cracks and gaps (outlines).
The Gelede country in Nigeria pays tribute to mothers, especially the oldest among them, whose powers are said to be comparable to those of the Yoruba gods, or orisa, and the ancestors, osi< /i> and which can be used for the benefit but also for the misfortune of society. In the latter case these women are ...

Rare Songola statuette, with residues of light pigments on one part of the face and tiny traces of red ochre on the other. These statuettes embody a deceased ancestor of the Nsubi society. Some of the sculptures were reserved for the Songola high ranking officials of the Bwami. Beautiful glossy patina, abrasions from use.
Mixed by marriage with the Lega, Ngengele and Zimba, the Songola are governed by the elders of the lineages. They borrowed from the Luba and Songye the Luhuna institution composed of dignitaries and that of the Bwami by their lega wives. The Songola live by hunting and fishing, they engage in sculpture although the objects associated with the Bwami cult come from the Lega. Among their reduced statuary, the figures of ancestors of the Nsubi society ...

Among the traditional sculptures reserved for dignitaries , this eroded seat that a figure embodying a clan ancestor or mythical hero supports. The statuette evokes the Songye and Hemba statues. Particularity of the Kusu, the face extending with a triangular beard.
Velvety surface.
Desiccation crack.
The Kusu settled on the left bank of the Lualaba have indeed borrowed the artistic traditions of the Luba and Hemba and possess a caste system similar to that of the Luba .  The Hemba on the other hand have settled in southeastern Zaire on the right bank of the Lualaba River. Once under the domination of the Luba , these farmers and hunters practice ancestor worship by means of effigies long attributed to the Luba. In this region, between the Bembe, Boyo, Hemba, ...

Ex-Belgian tribal art collection.
Sculpted figure embodying a sacred ancestor, elaborated following various rituals prescribed by the diviner and to which the descendants joined. It was after the extinction of the lineage that one could separate from the object. Deeply hollowed on either side of a meditative face, the large ears fit under a hairstyle pulled back. The treatment of the upper part of the bust is distinctive of the group, while the arms with fingered hands frame a slender morphology. Drips of dark color, others reddish, can be read on the patina rubbed with ocher. Thick deposits on the top and on the shoulders, mixed with twigs. erosions. The populations of the same cultural region, grouped together under the name "lobi", form a fifth of the inhabitants of Burkina Faso. ...

Mask made up of two parallel boards, the upper part of which is carved with a crocodile figure. This mask, which was worn horizontally, was collected from the Dogon, although the Bobos of Mali have a similar model. The animal, water spirit, is considered the servant of the mythical primordial being Nommo.
Patina of use, halos, abrasions and slight lacks.
Height on base: 110 cm.
More than eighty types of African masks are listed among the Dogon, the best known of which are the Kanaga, Sirigé, Satimbé, Walu. Most of them are used by circumcised initiates of the Awa society, during funeral ceremonies. The Awa designates the masks, their costumes, and all the Dogons in the service of the masks. Some evoke animals, in reference to the rich cosmogony and mythology of African ...

Ex-collection of French African tribal art.
Mandinka people, most of whom live in eastern Burkina Faso, but also in southern Mali, the culture of the Bobo Fing is similar to that of of the Bambara. They are organized into lineages headed by councils of elders. In each village altars are erected under the authority of the blacksmiths, priests of the cult of Dwo, but the Bobo also venerate secondary spirits and those of the ancestors. In addition to objects carved in wood, they also make fiber sheet masks that they will wear during ceremonies to establish a relationship with the spiritual world. The most important of the wooden masks are the sacred altar-masks (molo and nwenke), the masks that accompany them (nyanga) and those entertainment (Bole , sing. bolo). Before the rainy season, ...

Weapons of hunting, war, or prestige, swords, axes, spears and African command sticks are attributes of dignitaries exhibited during parades and official celebrations.
Blade whose contours are protected by narrow strips of leather, a copper element joining them around the tip. The handle of the spear is surrounded by tightly braided leather straps, its volute end carries a metal ring. The Shilluk (variant Shiluck, Chilouk) form a Nilotic people mainly established in southern Sudan, on the banks of the Nile, around Malakal, where they constitute the third largest ethnic group after the Dinka and the Nuer.

Zoomophic mask offering a long jaw with fangs and ears projecting forward. The slanted slit eyes realistically evoke the cruelty of the feline. Speckled matte patina. Height on base: 58 cm.
It is through various secret societies that the Bambara initiates will acquire their knowledge, including that of Koré, targeting the elders and during which this mask intervenes. Kore society is divided into eight classes of initiates, the sixth of which is that of the hyenas, or surukuw.

Established in central and southern Mali, in a savannah zone, the Bambara, "Bamana" or "unbelievers", as the Muslims have named them, belong to the large Mande group, with the Soninke and the Malinke. The Bambara nyamakala artisan groups, more specifically the blacksmiths named numu, are in charge of ...

Sculpted with precision in dense wood, this prestigious stick depicting the female ancestor would intervene on human fertility, the fertility of the land, and successful hunts. The face refers to a type of mask linked to the Mukanda Mukishi wa Mwna pwo initiation ceremonies wearing the kambu ja tota ("Chokwe and Their Bantu Neighbors" Rodrigues de Areia.) Reddish patina. Abrasions.
Of Lunda origin, the Lwena, Luena, emigrated from Angola to Zaire in the 19th century, repelled by the Chokwe. When some became slave traders, others, the Lovale, found refuge in Zambia. Their society is matrilineal, exogamous and polygamous. The Lwena became known for their sculptures embodying figures of deceased ancestors and chiefs, and their masks linked to the initiation rites of the mukanda . Their ...

Sculpture from the area around Dar-es-Salam, on the coast of Tanzania, where the Kaguru, Luguru, Kwéré, Zaramo and Doé tribes live.
The female figure is recurrent in the sculpted works.
Perched on a seat with openwork feet, a woman wears a double crest pierced with holes. The arms are exaggeratedly long, extending from fingered hands, one of which rests on a breast.
Gray beige patina with kaolin.
The Zaramo and the tribes that surround them, such as the Kwéré and the Doé, designed dolls generally associated with fertility, but to which other virtues would be attributed. Its primary role is played during the period of confinement of the young initiate Zaramo. The novice will behave towards the object as with a child, and will dance with it during the closing ...

Large African animal sculpture that refers to the primordial bird that is one of the five animals of the Senufo cosmogony, the first stage of Senufo creation, the hornbill. It is evoked for morphological and behavioral criteria. The tapered beak is "interpreted as the representation of the male sexual organ" perpetuating the life of the community. The patina is polychrome. Erosions on the base and minimal cracks.
Linked to the Poro society which initiated young boys from the age of seven in a succession of three cycles lasting seven years, this sculpture of Setien was placed in the sacred enclosure , where , despite its weight, carried on the head during a procession. The great initiates consider his bulging belly as the spiritual gestation of newcomers within the Poro. Poro is ...

Ex. collection African art Mercier.
This ancient and imposing African mask Baoulé, known as portrait mask, offers a lumpy matte patina resulting from ritual practices. Abrasions of use, lacks on the internal contours. Height on base: 66 cm.
These idealized portrait masks of the Baoulé, ndoma (or "double", "copy") which celebrate a character, have the particularity of appearing at the end of entertainment dance ceremonies. These are named, depending on the region, bedwo , ngblo , mblo , adjussu , etc.... The clothes of the dancer could also be those of the person evoked, the latter also dancing at his side.