Tribal Art

This African mask is used during the initiation rites of the Bwami society, accessible to men and women. The passage of a rank indicated the acquisition of a certain individual wisdom and morality. Offering certain animal elements such as ears placed high up, this mask has the particularity of being surrounded by a border in relief, suggesting fur or a beard. The deeply sunken globes, encrusted with residual kaolin, reveal almond-shaped eyelids. The jaw places the mouth in projection. Locally grainy satin patina. Height on base: 42 cm.
Within the Lega, the Bwami society 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 ...

French African tribal art collection.
Accompanying the rites of circumcision in the Ivindo valley, this rare mask bearing a high blade crest is laterally extended by excrescences which frame a heart-shaped face, and is divided into two tones. The colors are enhanced with a clear pastillage evoking the panther. The role of the mask was to entertain or impress by begging for donations for young guests at ceremonies. The wearer's costume was made of raffia fibers. Beneath arches in relief, protruding eyelids shelter perforations arranged for vision. The long triangular nose draws the eye to a narrow, white-lipped mouth. Use erosions and abrasions. Velvety matte patina. Native restoration.
The Mahongwe, Obamba, Shamayé and Sango form with the Kota a group with similar rites and ...

Mambila animal masks are made up of variously associated zoomorphic elements. Fantastic-looking sculptures result from this, such as this mask flanked by horns, horizontal ears, protruding eyes, and a jaw shaped like a blade or a toothed beak. Height on base: 61 cm. Crusty matte patina, erosions.
Despite their small numbers, the thirty thousand Mambila (or Mambilla, Mambere Nor) settled in the northwest of the Cameroon but especially on a high plateau on the Nigerian side, have created a large number of easily identifiable masks and statues such as the Tadep statues with a heart-shaped face. A large production of terracotta objects testifies to the influence of the ancient Sao civilization further north, towards Chad. The masks intervene during the dances linked to the two rites ...

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 semi-cylindrical Hopi-type mask bears colored patterns edged in black, the choice of colors of which is not insignificant because it indicates the nature of the spirit represented. Large ears are set on either side of the volume of the face, while a tubular mouth forms a protrusion.
The patina is matte, velvety and grainy, desiccation cracks.

The Galoa (or Galwa) live downstream from Lambaréné on the Ogooué River, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. They are called "people of the lake". They produced masks called Okouyi, Okukwé, used by initiatory societies to reveal witchcraft and their authors through divination. Several neighboring ethnic groups, including the Adouma and the Kota, use flat areas of contrasting colors in Gabon, including kaolin supposed to have apotropaic properties.
The groups of Gabon practice the worship of the bwiti, worship of the ancestors, and their relics are surmounted by a sculpture acting as a watchman. The Tsogho also produced a variety of masks comparable to those of their neighbors in the Ogooué basin. Height on base: 93 cm (reduction on request) Velvety matte patina. Abrasions from use.

This piece is accompanied by a certificate from Mr. Pierre Vérité dating from 1985 (photo). From a basketry base rises a head, an ideal of feminine beauty for the Ejagham. The wooden structure is covered with animal skin, usually antelope. The extravagant headdress composed of four volute outgrowths would represent the hair extensions of young girls at the end of their period of initiatory reclusion. The dancer's costume was made up of a large lattice of raffia cords and, more recently, of cotton fabric. The masks were coated with palm oil before use, and placed in daylight so that the leather would soften and take on a satisfactory sheen. Leopard societies, such as the male Kpe, Ngbe society among the Aro, used this crest design for initiation ceremonies or funerals of association ...

Divided into different areas of contrasting colors, this mask with an unusual structure offers a long rectangular nose fitting the volume of the forehead. Large cavities make up the look, a fine line marks the mouth in the lower end. The Quai Branly museum has a similar example. This type of igbo-ada mask appears during the dry season to highlight notions of virility. Abraded matte patina. Erosions and gaps.
The Igbo are settled in the southern Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The Ada are an Igbo subgroup established in southeastern Nigeria. They managed to combine a deep sense of individuality with an equally strong sense of belonging to the group. Their political system is complex and little known. The village is the most important social unit, the smallest being the extended ...

African mask flanked by a transverse crest, all adorned with triangular motifs symbolizing magic amulets.
These masks are repainted with each new dance season. Common characteristics are to be noted with certain helmet-masks of the Markha, another Mandinka ethnic group.
These heavy masks, whose design usually revolves around a helmet with a crest or horned growths, occurred during agricultural rituals in order to restore the balance of the earth. Their significance was revealed during the initiation of young boys.
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 blacksmiths, priests of the cult of Dwo, ...

This ancient example is reminiscent of African Dan masks, but its features are more accentuated. A band of kaolin originally covered the eyes. Thick particles remain on the surface. Embellished with various accessories, he would embody a fearsome spirit, a supernatural power, that of the forest. It would appear equipped with many accessories, during night outings, illuminated by the light of torches.
The Wé produced African masks that are the result of interlocking stylistic forms. The Dan , in the north, and the Wé of the south (the Krou group including the Guéré , the Wobé of the northeast, and the Wé of Liberia called Kran or Khran), made use of frequent borrowing due to their proximity. The elements of the bush, protruding volumes of the forehead,,horns and ...

Variant of zoomorphic masks associated with the gorilla ancestor, worn by the warlord to assert his authority. The creative construction favors the cranial block, a thick nose, and the protuberance of the mouth. Satin black patina. Cracks, small accidents. Height on base: 45 cm.
Tribe of the Kota group, the Kwélé , Bakwélé , live in the forest on the northern border of the Republic of Congo. They live from hunting, agriculture and metallurgy. Practicing the cult called Bwété borrowed from the Ngwyes, which was accompanied by obligatory initiation rites, they used at the end of the ceremonies the masks ekuk evoking the antelope whose horns meet in a loop under the chin. The blood of the antelope was also used among the Kwélé for therapeutic purposes. Most ethnicity masks are ...

Built on a hem-type structure with human features, a round-bump figure, with undersized legs and flanked by two fins with arms, stretches high. The long neck has regular annelures, and the head is covered with two mats curved backwards. Thick, crusty dark patina. Slight desication cracks.
The Kaka ethnic group, whose name fulani comes from German settlers, is located in a border area between Nigeria and Cameroon. Their statuary shows some influence from other ethnic groups such as the Mumuye, whose statues also have short, flexed legs topped with a slender body. Their very thick and crusty patina, their wide feet and the wide open mouth are however typical features to distinguish them from neighbouring ethnic groups. The function of these objects is little documented.

The asymmetry of long split eyelids delimiting the oblique plane of the face gives a fascinating character to this Songye mask. The lines in relief are concentrated under a high crest, the upper volume of the mask being privileged. Abraded matte patina, irregular surface and desication cracks.
Height on base: 57 cm. Three types of Kifwebe masks are listed: the masculine (kilume) generally with a high crest, the feminine (kikashi) would present a more modest or even absent crest, and finally the largest 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 history is inseparable from that of the Luba to which they are related through common ancestors. Also used by the Luba, worn with a long ...

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.