Tribal Art

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A serene softness distinguishes the Punu masks. The latter, wearing braids gathered in a shell and encircled with a hood, offers delicately drawn eyebrows highlighting bulbous, half-closed eyelids and prominent lips lifted with red ocher. Velvety matte patina, abrasions.br>

Among more than eighty types of African masks that have been recorded among the Dogon, this large-scale animal face mask embodies the buffalo, whose strength it symbolizes.
Sacrificial crusty patina, dry, locally flaking. Cracks of desiccation. Height on base: 86 cm.
The Dogon people are renowned in African tribal art for the myths and beliefs relating to their cosmogony.
The population is estimated at about 300,000 souls living southwest of the Niger loop in the Mopti region of Mali (Bandiagara, Koro, Banka), near Douentza and part of northern Burkina (northwest of Ouahigouya).They produce more than 80 types of masks, the best known of which are the Kanaga , Sirigé , Satimbé , Walu . Most of them are used by the circumcised initiates of the Awa society, during ...

Dogon mask of undetermined type, whose features are carved in a rather figurative way. A helmet frames the face, where sits a frail sculpted subject, linked to a being of the Dogon cosmogony, an ancestor or a spirit. Irregular surface, matte brown patina. Erosions and cracks.
More than eighty types of Dogon masks are listed, 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 Dogon art. The "nyama", the mask's vital force, is activated by various rituals in order to develop the object's full magical ...

The face masks of the akweya group, district of Akpa also called Okua, are mainly used during funerals of notorieties. The Idoma of the South, like the Igbo of the North, use masks of this type, many of whose characteristics have been borrowed from the Bokyi. Our copy, bleached with kaolin, would be of the ikpobi category, intended for young men, and formerly linked to war ceremonies. Height on base: 44 cm.
Abraded matte patina, cracks.
The Idoma, who are probably descendants of the Akopo, 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. The royal lineage members of their oglinye ...

Collection of French tribal art. Realistic mask adapted to the human face, seeking to reproduce, among the range of celebrities, characters or mythical heroes involved in Mexican theatrical dances and carnivals, the features of an ancient actor named Pedro Infante, famous in Mexican culture. The surface is carefully painted with brilliant polychrome tones.

This African mask Lega indicated the stage that its holder had reached within the Bwami, a learning society made up of different grades, and which was joined by wives whose spouses had reached the third level, that of < b>ngandu. Blackened light wood, grainy residues of kaolin. Desication cracks, abrasions and lacks. Within the Léga, the Bwami society, open to men and women, organized social and political life. There were up to seven levels of initiation, each associated with emblems. Following their exodus from Uganda during the 17th century, the Lega settled on the west bank of the Lualaba River in the DRC. Social recognition and authority also had to be earned individually: the chief owed his selection to his heart (mutima), good character, intelligence, and impeccable behavior. ...

Ex-collection African art Belgian.
Among the Dan, it is with the aim of being honored that the spirits manifest themselves during dreams. They indicate the details of the masks to be made. Each of the masks has a name related to its function. The duglé mask, of which this example is a rare variant, with a huge mouth, accompanies important ceremonies. The dark, lustrous patina of African Dan masks was obtained by immersion in mud baths. Shiny garnet brown patina, marks of use, gaps on the edges. Height on base: 45 cm.
Piece acquired by Mr. Guy Mercier, consultant for the Solvay group, who began at the beginning of the 20th century to bring together a vast collection of African tribal art. While radiating in West and Central Africa as part of his work, and collecting in-situ ...

Ex-French American art collection.
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. This Hopi-type mask, flanked by surprising ears and a protruding "beak", is notched with rectangular pupils underlined in black. The hues would indicate the nature of the spirit represented. The patina is matte, velvety, abrasions and small accidents.

Element of a bambara or bozo puppet, a loose costume in colored textile concealing the wearer during didactic shows. This tradition of puppet theater is common to the multi-ethnic peoples living in the interior delta of the Niger, including the Bozo, in particular in the region of Ségou where it is called "sogobo". The Bamana and the Malinké also perpetuate the tradition of "koteba" actor's theater thanks to masks and puppets, and frequent representations of "konoba" or "kotekono" birds, "messengers from beyond". Height on base: 60 cm.
Polychrome patina, abrasions, small accidents.
In Mali, the invention of the puppet is attributed to the geniuses of the bush who kidnapped Toboji Centa, a Bozo fisherman. During his stay with the geniuses, the man becomes familiar with this ...

Variations of the masks of 'young girl', these masks are topped with miniature effigies of statues alusi , supposed to embody the world of the deceased but also the beauty of youth. These figures sport scarifications reserved for dignitaries and named body motives . These guardian deities, intermediate between men and the god named Chukwu were placed in the obu (Sing.: obi), houses of the men of the Cross River.
The white color of the mask agbo-gho-mmwo or ikorodo refers to ancestral spirits, these masks frequently accompanying the deceased during funeral rites. Indeed, mmwo means 'spirit of the dead', especially of young girls, although it is worn by young men of the mmwo society in order to honor the spirit of the earth. Splashed matte patina. Cracks. Restoration (wicker).

This African Bambara mask surmounted by a narrow blade-like outgrowth has fine diagonal incisions, hatching and starry patterns. The tabs figuring the ears frame an oblong face characterized by a hollowed-out gaze in rectangles, a pointed nose echoing the crest and a very realistic mouth with tight lips. Irregular patina of use, breaks at the edges.
Height on base: 54 cm.
The Marka , Maraka in Bamana, Warka , or Sarakolé, are Muslim city dwellers of Soninke origin, established in southern Niger, scattered since the end of the Ghana Empire in Mali, Mauritania and Senegal. They now speak Bamana and have adopted many of the Bambara traditions, such as the Ntomo and the Koré, initiation societies that used masks during their ceremonies. The Bambara and Marka African art ...

Former Baoulé figurative mask called portrait mask or Ndoma , with an atypical character, and whose unique scarifications form "cat whiskers" at the corners of the lips.
Beautiful satin patina of use.
Small accidents.
These African masks portraits of the Baoulé, ndoma , which are part of one of the oldest Baoulé artistic traditions and frequently represent an idealized character, have the particularity of manifesting themselves in the end of the entertainment dance ceremonies, which are named, depending on the region, bedwo , ngblo , mblo , adjussu < / i>, etc .... Each of these masks are distinguished by the hairstyles, the location and the choice of scarifications. They perform during dance events accompanied by music and songs, celebrations, ...

This African mask with a clear golden patina consists of a reduced and refined specimen of Pwevo, the female ancestor. The scarification on the forehead, symbolizing the leg of a hen, is typical of the Ovimbundu of Angola. Following their migration to Zambia, in contact with the Lovale groups, they integrate the mukanda initiations. The Lovale and the Mbunda also borrowed these motifs from their neighbours. Like the Chokwe also, the hairstyle is reminiscent of that coated with palm oil and red ocher clay of the women of the clan.
Of Lunda origin, the Lwena (or Lovale , or Luvale ) emigrated from Angola to Zaire in the 19th century, repelled by the Chokwe. Some became slave traders, others, the Lovale, found refuge in Zambia and near the Zambezi in Angola. Their society is ...

Presenting characteristics in common with the Okua masks of the Idomas, this mask representing a rounded face of the naturalist type bears scars in relief typical of the groups of the Cross River, including the Keakas. The implantation of the hair forms a point in the center of the forehead. The cheeks are marked with parallel streaks, the open mouth is lined with metal teeth. Dark patina, scattered crusty deposits. Desication cracks and abrasions.
The Boki, Bokyi, live in the Cross River region along the border of Nigeria located northwest of Mamfe in Cameroon. They speak an eponymous language and are part of the Benoué. Most are Christianized.

The Boki practiced the cult of the Spirit of the Leopard, whose aggressive and unpredictable character was expressed by ...

This mask surmounted by a high flat and curved blade is one of the many stylistic variations of Dogon masks. Yellow ocher patina, colored highlights. Desication rings and cracks.
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 Dogon art. The "nyama", the mask's vital force, is activated by various rituals in order to develop the object's full magical potential.

The Eket carve circular masks for agricultural festivals and funeral ceremonies of the Ekpo society. From this heavy circular mask, the face of the "Grand Mother", the creative spirit linked to the full moon, emerges in high relief. The triangular decorative motifs refer to the necklaces of animal teeth worn by members of the Idiong society of soothsayers during certain ceremonies, and, for some, to the rays of the full moon. A collar haloed the mask, fixed to the perforations of the contours.
Thick crusty patina, locally chipped. Ocher residue, minimal chips and cracks.
Secret societies are numerous among the Ibibio settled west of the Cross River. Without a centralized government, their social organization is comparable to that of the neighboring Igbo. Ancestor worship ...

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 ...

African mask of modest size intended for entertainment ceremonies. It could therefore, according to Baule tradition, be seen by women. The patina is velvety, grainy, partially flaked. The high mitered headdress is made of braids assembled in a shell. The face bears the traditional scarification called "ngole".
Height on base: 35 cm. These portrait masks of the Baule, ndoma, which are part of one of the oldest Baule artistic traditions and frequently represent an idealized 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.... Each of these masks are distinguished by hairstyles, location and choice of scarification, etc... Also called Gbagba, they ...

African mask with perforations limited to the areas of the nose and forehead, associated with certain scarifications of the group. The bulbous forehead is framed with unusual diagonal growths. Between the rectangular eyes, the particularly short nose ends in a point. The mouth was originally lined with teeth. Matte patina coated with residual kaolin.
Height on base: 41 cm.
The Tetela and Yela groups are of Mongo origin and are neighbors. The sculpture of the Tetela takes on various forms, borrowed from the clans they rub shoulders with, including Songye inspirations with polychrome works. Several ethnic groups divided into lineages live closely intertwined in central Zaire: the Mbole, the Yela, the Lengola, and the Metoko, and have similar associations. This proximity has ...

Large scale for this songye mask with large tricolour stripes tinged with natural pigments. The ridge of the nose extends towards the head of a majestic sagittal crest. The mouth points in parallelepiped. Eroded contours, cracks, grainy matte patina.
High on a base: 85 cm.
This types of African art mask Kifwebe are listed: the masculine (kilume) usually with a high crest, the feminine (kikashi) would present a more modest crest or absent, and finally the greater embodying power (kia ndoshi). 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 whom they are related through common ancestors. The Songyes have created ...

The African mask called "racing", Gunye ge, actor of social order among the Dan, has large eye sockets and a red textile wolf. It is also embellished with a raffia beard.
Height on base: 39 cm.
Black brown lustrous patina. Slight crack on the outline.
The 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 of the dry season. The zapkei ge, also equipped with circular orbits, are responsible for preventing fires by watching over domestic fires. For 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. It is in this way that she seeks to bring knowledge to man in order ...