Tribal Art

Semi-spherical, crossed by an excrescence joining the orifice of the mouth and whose upper end is divided into antennae, this zoomorphic mask is hollowed out with circular eyes with perforated contours. Ears are sketched in height on either side of the pupils, while linear scarifications are drawn locally. Soft black satin patina, chipped areas, abrasions and desication cracks.
Height on base: 37 cm. The Ogoni live along the coasts of Nigeria, near the mouth of the Cross-River, south of the Igbo and west of the Ibibio. Their carvings vary from village to village, but are mainly renowned for their hinged-jaw masks like some Ekpo Ibibio masks. Their masks were usually worn at funerals, festivities accompanying plantings and harvests, but also more recently to welcome distinguished ...

The African animal masks of Burkina Faso
This imposing helmet mask forms a variant of the African Newenka mask of the Bobo Fing, also borrowing features from the kellé mask. This type of mask was worn exclusively by members of the blacksmith caste, during mourning ceremonies, to accompany the deceased to their ultimate residence, the volta. The top has a crest whose flat and openwork structure is surmounted by bird beaks. The decoration is made up of triangles whose polychromy is extinguished. Beautiful semi-satin patina of use, desication cracks and abrasions.
A Mandingo 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 the Bambara. In each village altars are erected under the authority of the ...

Ex. Belgian African art collection.
This African Chokwe Pwo initiation mask differs from more recent examples in its features, size and finish, giving it a powerful character. Two-tone satin patina, lacks.
Height on base: 31 cm.
Peacefully settled in eastern Angola until the 16th century, the Chokwé were then subjected to the Lunda empire from which they inherited a new hierarchical system and the sacredness of power. The Chokwé did not have centralized power but large chiefdoms. They were the ones who attracted artists wishing to put their know-how at the exclusive service of the court. The artists created so many varied pieces and of such quality that the Lunda court only employed them. African Chokwe pwo masks, among the many akishi or "akixi" masks (sing: ...

Among Dogon animal masks, masks associated with the antelope are found in slightly different aspects. One interpretation of the mask is that it plays a role similar to the Ci Wara of the Bamana, in connection with mythical beings of creation.
Velvety patina of use, residual pinkish and bluish pigments still perceptible among traces of kaolin. Cracks of desiccation. Height on base : 78 cm. Marcel Griaule counted no less than 78 types of Dogon masks during his fieldwork. This piece, with its stylized features, is characteristic of Dogon creations. The latter, influenced by their predecessors in the Bandiagara region, the Tellem, have retained this verticality in their pieces. In parallel with Islam, Dogon religious rites are organized around four main cults: the Lebe, ...

African Gouro mask from central Ivory Coast.
Between hemmed ears, feminine features, whose smile reveals the upper row of teeth, are painted in bright colors. An elegant flat-shaped accessory, adorned with carved patterns in relief, embellishes the braided hairstyle. Thanks to skillful modeling, the realism of the expression is striking. Small erosions and accidents.

Among the group of Mande from the south, in the center of Côte d'Ivoire, on the banks of the Bandama, the Gouro are organized into lineages, and constitute the western neighbors of the Baoulé who borrowed several characteristics from their creations. Animists, since the 1950s, they have used a family of masks associated with the Zaouli dance. Like the African Goli masks of the Baoulé, the set of Guro ...

African tribal art and "surrealist" masks.
The eight pupils adorning this Kru mask would be associated here with the expression often quoted in West Africa "four eyes", qualifying a person endowed with a power of clairvoyance. Two protruding mouths surround perforations in the surface. Polychrome speckled patina. Desication cracks, old restorations.

The Kru are divided into twenty-four subgroups, including the Grebo, who live in southern Liberia and southwestern Côte d'Ivoire. Their leader is the bodio, who lives in seclusion. Unlike most West African populations, they are not subject to Poro society. Their masks with tubular growths would be of oubi origin, and could symbolize the mythical creatures that inhabit the forests on the banks of the Cavally, to which the ...

Harmonious African mask intended for entertainment ceremonies, wearing a high tiara whose streaks represent the braids. The traditional "ngole" scarifications are inscribed in relief on the face with heavy lowered eyelids. The nose and mouth are delicately hemmed. Old abraded patina. Height on base: 48 cm.
These portrait masks of the Baoulé, Kpwan, which are part of one of the oldest Baoulé artistic traditions and frequently represent an idealized character, have the particularity of appearing at the end of entertainment dance ceremonies. The latter are named, according to the regions, bedwo, ngblo, mblo, adjussu, etc.... Also called Gbagba, they personify graceful young girls or men whose bravery or qualities of integrity are renowned.

African mask of circumcision, coming from Ituria. The specificity of this African mask of the Komo lies in its large gaping eyes and its sharp teeth. The abrupt block of the nose reinforces the aggressiveness of this face marked with deep oblique scarifications. Abraded velvety patina.

The Kumu live primarily in the northeast and central regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their Bantu language is Komo or Kikomo . Several ethnic groups are closely intertwined, with similar associations: the Mbole, Yela, Lengola, and Metoko. Their artistic production also has great similarities with that of the Metoko and Lengola. Their divination masks were exhibited at the closing ceremonies of the initiation and circumcision of the youth of the nkunda society.

This mask comes from the Chewa of Malawi. It is used during the ceremonies of the initiation society Nyaun or Nyao , an association found in the regions near Lake Malawi: eastern Zambia, western Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe among immigrants from Malawi.
These masks featuring rounded faces are painted in bright colors, such as this Chewa face mask whose slightly asymmetrical features, framed by ears with developed auricles, feature painted eyes, prominent cheekbones, short, slightly upturned nose, gaping mouth with fleshy lips. The forehead is covered with a hood and fragments of various textiles halo the contours. Abraded polychrome patina. Height on base : 49 cm.

Exceptional mask of character representing a monkey, and whose power is expressed through features and volumes skillfully rendered. Marks of use, velvety patina, small accidents and abrasions. Residues of red pigments.
Only two types of Hemba masks have been identified: that of an anthropomorphic type with regular features, whose pointed chin is reminiscent of statuary, and those depicting monkeys,the soko mutu , and whose functions remain little known, but which probably belonged, according to J.Kerchache, to the secret societies bugabo and bambudye . The smallest specimens ( about twenty centimeters) would have been carried in the hand during rites intended for the protection of the home and fertility. In addition to the janiform statuettes kabeja , the statues of male ...

Ex-collection Belgian African art. Rare mask with a spherical face surrounded by a collar, decorated with striated flat areas of contrasting colors. The grooves of the face could reproduce the facial paintings accompanying the initiation ceremonies. According to Marc Léo Félix, this type of mask was used during the gatherings of the bambudye, a Luba fraternity associated with power. Grainy matte patina locally chipped.
The Luba (Baluba in Tchiluba) are a people of Central Africa. Their cradle is Katanga, more precisely the region of the Lubu River, thus the name (Baluba, which means "the Lubas"). They were born from a secession of the Songhoy ethnic group, under the leadership of Ilunga Kalala, who had the old king Kongolo, who has since been venerated in the form of a ...

Collection art tribal africain française.
De grande dimension, le masque africain bakrogui, Simogui, ou encore Angbaï, se rattache aux ancêtres. Seuls les initiés étaient autorisés à contempler. Des éléments zoomorphes au sommet s'associent à une longue mâchoire entrouverte. Vestiges rituels granuleux au sommet. Patine lustrée localement abrasée.
Hauteur sur socle : 78 cm.
Les Toma de Guinée, appelés Loma au Libéria, vivent au sein de la forêt, en altitude. Ils sont réputés pour leurs masques-planches landaï destinés à animer les rites initiatiques de l'association poro qui structurent leur société, et qui représentent des esprits de la brousse. Dès l'apparition du masque landaï , les initiés se rendaient dans la forêt afin d'y travailler un mois durant lequel ils ...

It is through different secret societies that the Bambara initiates will acquire their knowledge, including that of the Koré, targeting the elders and during which this mask intervenes. The society of the Koré is divided into eight classes of initiates, the sixth of which is that of the hyenas, or surukuw.

The bulbous forehead is surmounted by a tubular outgrowth that symbolizes the tuft of hair removed after the animal's death. Linear carvings are still discernible on the wood with a deep glossy patina, abraded in places.
Marks of use and cracks.
This piece is estimated at the beginning of the 20th century by the Zemanek house where it was acquired.
Established in central and southern Mali, in a savannah area, the Bambara, "Bamana" or ...

br>African art from the banks of the Cavally and its fantastic masks. Four tubular pupils reflecting extra lucid faculties, a rectangular volume for the mouth, and a wide forehead surmounted by horns: these fascinating kru masks evoke a fantastic world. Polychrome speckled patina.
The Kru are divided into twenty-four subgroups, including the Grebo, which are located in southern Liberia and southwestern Côte d'Ivoire. Their leader is the bodio, who lives in a hut, the takae. Their masks with tubular excrescences would be of oubi origin, and could symbolize the mythical creatures which populate the forests of the banks of the Cavally, to which the people address themselves through ritual ceremonies. The interest of cubist painters and modern sculptors for the abstract ...

African Art Fang
Wearing a visor headdress framed by triangular buns, this mask offers a face with squinted eyes and a protruding grimacing mouth. A ribbed scarification runs from the tip of the nose to the top of the forehead, and divides along the eyebrow arches. Heterogeneous gray beige patina, erosions.
This type of mask was used by the male ngil society which no longer exists today. This secret society was in charge of initiations and fought against witchcraft. The ngil was a rite of purifying fire symbolized by the gorilla. The wearers of these masks, always in large numbers, appeared at night, lit by torches. Their intervention was also linked to the judicial function by pointing out the culprits of bad deeds within the village. The Fang ethnic group, established ...

Flat and tapered, this lega initiation mask displays zoomorphic elements that allow its identification. Satiny light brown patina, residual kaolin. These masks indicated the stage that its holder had reached within the Bwami, a learning society composed of different ranks, and which joined the wives whose spouse had reached the third level, that of the ngandu.
Belle patina light brown, residual inlays of white clay around the eyes. Long raffia beard.

At the Lea, 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 in the 17th century, the Lega settled on the west bank of the Lualaba River in the DRC. Also known as Warega, these ...

Ex-collection of Belgian African tribal art.
This African Lega mask offers a shallow, narrow volume. Vertical horns stand at the top, and the eyes are treated in rectangles on either side of a very long nose. Light wood rubbed with a locally abraded dark coating. Erosion of the contours.
These masks indicated the stage their holders had reached in the Bwami, a learning society composed of different grades, and which was joined by wives whose spouses had reached the third level, that of ngandu. ngandu.

African animal masks offer varied aspects, this example surmounted by horns, ears or antennae has a largely furrowed surface coated with contrasting mineral pigments. Height on base: 36 cm.

The province of Lualaba had several close ethnic groups with similar associations. The Mbole and the Yela, Kela, are known for their statues embodying, according to D. Biebuck, hanged men, named ofika. The lilwa , an association with dogmatic initiation rites, used to judge and condemn to hanging those guilty of breaches of the imposed rules. These offenses ranged from murder to adultery to breaking the secrecy surrounding the lilwa. Dishonored, the bodies of the condemned enjoyed no funeral and were buried in the forest. It was during the end of initiation ceremonies, presided over by a ...

Vestige of an ancient African mask forming a crest embodying a spirit of the bush. It combines discreet human features at the end of the muzzle, protruding pupils and rounded horns. These very refined masks, associated with the mangam ceremonies of the Mama , or Kantana , of which the buffalo masks are better known, are used within the ethnicity by members of a male association responsible for maintaining social order and increasing or promoting agricultural production. It is indeed north of Benoué that several ethnic groups produce very stylized masks worn horizontally. Chipped dark patina. erosions. Height on base: 50 cm.

This mask whose horns symbolize fertility is therefore danced during festivals in relation to agricultural fertility and sometimes human fertility. ...

Mask in the form of a basketwork structure draped in textile, imprisoning a bouquet of feathers at the top, the whole abundantly lined with raffia fibers. The whole thing formed a strange hat for the dancer whose mask consisted of facial paintings. Established in the Ogooué basin, the Okandé group of Membé language, neighbor of the Punu, Pounou, is composed of the Tsogho, Pové (Vuvi), Okandé, Evea, and Apindji ethnic groups. These ethnic groups practice the cult of Mwiri, a male initiation society. Source: "Masks of Gabon", ed. Wakes; http://www.theatramour.com/masque_bodi.php.

Scattered in the Kasai basin, the Tetela of Mongo origin have been the source of incessant conflicts with their neighbors. They also participated extensively in the slave trade. Their very diverse sculpture is marked by the influence of groups living in contact with them: in the north, their art has been subjected to the influence of forest populations such as the Mongo, in the northwest that of the Nkutschu, and in the west that of Binji and Mputu. The Kuba traditions were also a source of inspiration, as were those of the Songye in the southwest. Their fetishes are kept out of sight. Animists, they seek to appease and direct the elements thanks to the sorcerer Wichi and the priest Umpa. Their traditional currency of exchange, dikonga, in the form of spearheads, has also helped to make ...