Tribal Art

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. ...

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 ...

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 ...

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, ...

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 ...

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.

In African art, African masks 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 upper half, while the narrow features are concentrated 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. From the top, between the fins of the hairstyle, springs a cephalomorphic figure worn by an equally ringed neck.
Peint in black or tinted with a brush of leaves, the mask was then rubbed with palm oil. Velvet matte patina, Ochre residual inlays, erosions, slight desication cracks.br>The Mende, Vaï and Gola cultures ...

The wearer of this type of mask must have consumed ebanza, a hallucinogenic bark, with the aim of inducing a trance to develop mediumistic abilities. Songs accompanied his appearance. Cracks, aureoles, erosions, indigenous restorations (staples).
Height on base: 44 cm.
Neighboring tribe of the Pounou or Punu , the Tsogo , Mitsogo traditionally farmers (slash-and-burn agriculture), matrilineal, are renowned for their very elaborate rituals of religious practice, and particularly of initiation, including the bwiti or the mwiri for men, and the nyembe for women. They live on the right bank of the Ngoumé River. The function of their African masks is essentially the propitiation of the spirits of the ancestors. Their masks are kept at the back of the ebanza house ...

Heavy African piece of art, facial mask with an ovoid face in which the hairstyle, divided into three curves outlined with brass, is an evidence of its origin Bété, but also southern Gouro.

The medial rib embossed evokes the scarifications in use, the eyelids carefully worked join at the top the ridge of the triangular nose.The philtrum runs to two appendices composed of large circular trays superimposed, forming a great machoîre gaping.These elements are edged with a roll of canvas that a wicker weave keeps it tight, the internal faces are colored with reddish pigment, the surface of this Bété mask is lustrous, the patina is satin, kaolin is applied to the eyes and to the cruciform pattern of a tray. are a tribe established on the left bank of the Sassandra River in the ...

Called Kiwoyo with the Eastern Pende, Giwoyo ch those of the Centre, this african mask extended from a chin strap was usually worn in a cap over a soft hat, tumba . Most of the masks of the Central Pende, sculpted by the dancers, were worn tilted on the forehead, to be seen in profile. Originally associated with the deceased lying on his diaper, this mask was associated with funeral rituals. Nowadays he participates in peaceful and festive ceremonies. This rare and voluminous variant of kiwoyo, with widely split triangular eyelids, nevertheless forms a hem mask. It is decorated with large lozenges on which remain color pigments. Locally abraded velvety patina.

The seed live on the banks of the Kwilu, while the have settled on the banks of the Kasai river downstream of ...

The Igbo-Afikpo Distortion in African Art
Symbolizing courage, this African mask named "the time of the brave" brings together zoomorphic elements. Among the forest-dwelling Igbo in southeastern Nigeria, these aggressive masks, often accompanied by a motley array of quills, raffia, palm fronds and weapons, perform in spectacular festivals during the dry season, the most famous being the okumkpa, and certain funerals. The larger ones are worn by mature male initiates of the Ekpo society. Each of the mask wearers embodies a spirit whose name the mask adopts.
Thick dark patina, scattered chips and abrasions, desiccation cracks. Colored highlights.

Flanked by a head topped with a crest and having ample ears, this so-called shoulder mask is designed in an arch. A mirror is embedded on one of the walls. Glossy dark patina under a clay coating. Cracks and abrasions.
South of the Benoué River, in a region of difficult access which isolated them until 1950, are the Mumuye, who are organized into family groups called dola. This type of mask is found in the northwestern region of the middle Benoué, from the Kona Jukun, to the Mumuye and up to the Wurkun populations. The 100,000 Adamawa language speakers 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 cult vabong, among which are elected the chiefs, and those of ...

A subtle expression of detachment imprints the harmonious features of this narrow mask. The pimple scarifications here form a salient relief, reminiscent of the triple shell headdress. Locally chipped velvety patina.
The white African masks of Gabon, itengi, (pl. bitengi) were associated with the various secret societies of Gabon, including the Bwiti, Bwete, and the Mwiri ("to lead" ), the latter being spread over several levels of initiation, to which all the Punu men belonged, and whose emblem was the caiman (hence, for some, the pattern with saurian scales). The mask, evocation of a deceased young woman, was exhibited during the dance called Okuyi. The powerful secret societies, which also had a judicial function, featured several dances, including the leopard dance, the ...

The lower part of the face of this Punu mask, here devoid of clan motifs, stands out from the cheek mat extending a hairstyle in shells. Carved in a soft wood, this mask offers an abraded matte patina. Erosions, gaps.
Height on base: 48 cm. The white African masks of Gabon, itengi, (pl. bitengi) were associated with the various secret societies of Gabon, including the Bwiti, Bwete, and the Mwiri ("to lead" ), the latter being spread over several levels of initiation, to which all the Punu men belonged, and whose emblem was the caiman (hence, for some, the pattern with saurian scales). The mask, evocation of a deceased young woman, was exhibited during the dance named Okuyi. The powerful secret societies, which also had a judicial function, featured several dances, including the ...

Collection of African Belgian art.
This African mask was used during the tribal ritual of the Elanda male society. Mask embodying the god Alunga, this panel structure has double orbits and a diamond-shaped mouth. Evocation of a spirit of the forest, this mask was kept in the sacred caves. They appeared in various guises during the Bwami circumcision and initiation ceremonies.
Matte patina, ocher beige kaolin residue, bluish highlights.
Desication cracks, native restoration.
The Bembe ethnic group is a Luba branch that left the Congo in the 18th century. Their society and artistic tendency are marked by the influence of their neighbors in the Lake Tanganyika region, the Lega, the Buyu, etc. Indeed, like the Lega, the Bembe had a bwami association responsible for ...

Spectacular by the deformation of its features, this mask of the Pende established in upper Kwango is part of the African masks "of illness" Pende Mbangu or Bwala-Bwala . It is associated with epileptic seizures or the result of facial paralysis caused by witchcraft rituals. This comedy mask is completed with a feather hat gifuatu of guinea fowl, coucal or turaco, or the lumbandu, a crown of leaves. It is also often equipped with a hump on the back, thus exaggerating the disabled appearance.
Satin patina.
The western Pende live on the banks of the Kwilu, while the eastern people have settled on the banks of the Kasai downstream from Tshikapa. The influences of neighboring ethnic groups, Mbla, Suku, Wongo, Leele, Kuba and Salempasu imprinted on their large tribal art ...

French African art collection.
Showing obvious signs of use, this ancient Dogon zoomorphic mask named walu, an animal linked to the Dogon cosmogony, offers dark patterns in partially abraded pastillage and whitewash. Guarantor of order, the mask of the Walu charges the spectators too close to the dancers. A pantomime then illustrates the legend of the mythical walu. Many villages have this mask with different meanings. Desication cracks.
Alongside Islam, Dogon religious rites are organized around four main cults: the Lébé, relating to fertility, the Wagem, cult of the ancestors under the authority of the patriarch, the Binou invoking the world of spirits, and the Awa mask society regarding funerals. The "dama" is a ceremony dedicated to restoring the order of things ...

Rare set consisting of a basket on which are fixed a sculpted mask embellished with small bones and cowries. For the Boa, it would be a ritual altar for protection.
Grainy patina. Erosions, lacks. br /> Flanked by pierced lobes like the ear flaps of the Boa of the east, the "bavobongo", and a mouth lined with sparse teeth, this African mask gave an impressive appearance to its wearer, accentuated by the contrast of colors. Supposed to render invulnerable and with the aim of terrifying the enemy, the African mask kpongadomba or "Pongdudu" of the Boa was ordered by the chief kumu who offered it to the bravest warrior. It was then kept in his wife's hut. Close to the Mangbetu and the Zande, the Boa inhabit the savannah in the north of Democratic Republic of Congo. Some Boa ...

This African mask offers concentrated features under a vast forehead that a protruding scarification divides vertically, a particularity of the zone located between the Guro and the Bété. A braided beard, highlighted with a necklace of glass beads, extends the chin. This mask, whose function remains poorly documented, would symbolize masculine strength, and perhaps also a powerful notable named "migone". Glossy and abraded patina, gritty residual pigment at the top.
Height on base: 49 cm.
The Bété form a tribe established on the left bank of the Sassandra River in the south-west of the Ivory Coast. Close to the Kouya and the Niabwa, the making of their masks, as well as their function, offer great similarities.

"Guro" ed. 5Continents.