Tribal Art

Collection of French African art.
Schematic African doll amulet. Beautiful brown patina, alterations from use.
When menstruation appears, in Africa, the young girl is considered a potential mother, aided by ritual sculptures. During the initiatory period of seclusion, the doll, which requires care, becomes the young girl's only companion. Subsequently, it will be carried on the back, or tied around the neck. Wooden dolls (biiga), carved in their free time by blacksmiths in Burkina Faso, are given to girls and boys by their parents. The wealthier Mossi buy plastic dolls. In the case where the girl does not give birth, a larger doll is sculpted to treat her like a real newborn. The doll will not be abandoned after the birth of the child, the mother will continue to take ...

Baoule male statue evoking a "Blolo bian", sculpted to embody the husband of the "beyond", according to the instructions of the diviners. Neat statue, sculpted with many details, coated with a black patina.
Around sixty ethnic groups populate Ivory Coast, including the Baoulé, in the center, Akans from Ghana, a people of the savannah, practicing hunting and agriculture just like the Gouro from whom they borrowed their ritual cults and masks. carved. Two types of statues are produced by the Baoulé, Baulé, in the ritual context: The Waka-Sona statues, "being of wood" in baoulé, evoke an assié oussou, being of the earth. They are part of a type of statue intended to be used as a medium tool by the komien diviners, the latter being selected by the asye usu spirits in order to ...

Small male figure associated with the cult of the ancestors, carved in dense wood then carefully veneered, using fine staples, with copper metal sheets with khaki reflections. Encased in a thick neck, the head offers a flat face whose summary features are distinguished by their exorbitant pupils. The bust of the subject, on which the folded arms are concentrated, is supported by bent legs whose roundness expresses power. The posture would be one of those accompanying ceremonial dances. The metal is engraved with patterns evoking tribal body markings and braids highlighting the crested headdress.
The Mbete, Ambete, form a tribe of Gabon, on the border of the Middle Congo, close to the Obamba and the Pounou, whose history has been marked by a long-term conflict against the Teke. ...

This Lobi statuette "Bateba" was placed on the altar after a ritual to become the receptacle of a bush spirit, the Thil, and thus become an active being, an intermediary who fights against sorcerers and all other evil forces. The small spherical head, slightly tilted to the side, surmounts a narrow bust with drooping shoulders and arms that are placed alongside the body. The figure stands upright on wide feet. Golden brown glossy surface showing the wood grain.
When honored, these spirits manifest their benevolence in the form of abundant rains, good health, numerous births; Ignored, they withdraw it and bring devastating epidemics, drought and suffering.
These spirits transmit to the diviners the laws that the followers must follow to receive their protection.
They ...

“Reliquary figure” of the Bwete devoid of its charge. Cut according to traditional conventions, it stands out thanks to its geometric head with a flat face framed by protruding ears, perched on a long neck lined with copper spirals. Lustrous patina, erosions and desiccation cracks.
Among the Shira-Punu group, the Massango, Mashango, Sango, Sangu, established themselves on the Chaillu massif in Gabon and in the province of Ngounié. The use of baskets and also reliquary packages with bones of the deceased, on which sculptures of this type were enthroned, was widespread throughout Gabon, among the Fang, the Kota, but also the Mitsogho and the Massango, among whom this cult takes the name of Bumba, Mbumba. The sculptures playing the role of "medium" between the living and the ...

These late sculptures, which were made when the king died, represent an oba whose neck is encircled with multiple necklaces of coral beads. His "oro" headdress is surmounted by an excrescence on which appears the king sitting with his ceremonial sword.
Brown patina, golden reflections.
African art from Benin is described as court art because it is closely associated with the king, known as Oba. The tradition of bronze court objects from the Benin Kingdom dates back to the 14th century. The numerous bronze alloy heads and statues created by the artists of Benin were reserved for the exclusive use of the inhabitants of the royal palace and, more often than not, placed on altars consecrated by each new Oba. These rectangular altars were surmounted by heads, statues, carved ...

African sculpture of Mbumba Sango reliquary, small in size, offering a flat face overlooking a long neck decorated with metal spirals. The abstract morphology forms a diamond, respecting traditional standards. Glossy brown patina, copper metal.
Among the Shira-Punu group, the Massango, Mashango, Sango, Sangu, established themselves on the Chaillu massif in Gabon and in the province of Ngounié. The use of baskets and also reliquary packages with bones of the deceased, on which sculptures of this type were enthroned, was widespread throughout Gabon, among the Fang, the Kota, but also the Mitsogho and the Massango, among whom this cult takes the name of Bumba, Mbumba. The sculptures playing the role of "medium" between the living and the dead who watched over their ...

This female figure with slender arms, an arched bust, wears traditional scarifications and tattoos. The body stretched forward, the hands resting on the abdomen, highlight the umbilicus, symbol of filiation. Cracks and abrasions. Satin patina.
The Senoufos, the name given to them by French settlers, are mainly made up of farmers who have dispersed between Mali, Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso. Councils of elders, headed by an elected chief, administer Senufo villages. Each of them has its own Poro association which initiates young boys from the age of seven in a succession of three cycles lasting seven years. They gather in a sacred enclosure called sinzanga located near the village, among the trees. Upon the death of one of the members of the Poro, the statues named pombibele were ...

The "inverted doubles" in the African art sculptures of Les Baule
Offering crystallized residues of ritual practices, this statuette Blobo bia, or bloblo bla, embodies a spiritual spouse. She adopts the traditional posture, hands enhancing the umbilical region. This type of object is carved according to the indications of the diviner. Chipped polychrome patina. Desication cracks.
About sixty ethnic groups populate Côte d'Ivoire, including the Baoulé, in the center, Akans from Ghana, people of the savannah, practicing hunting and agriculture just like the Gouro from whom they borrowed ritual cults and masks carved. Two types of statues are produced by the Baoulé , Baulé , within the ritual framework: The Waka-Sona statues, "being of wood" in baoulé, evoke a assié oussou, ...

This ritual sculpture, plated with metal sheets according to the kota tradition, forms a stylized image of the ancestor, a coat of arms also for the clan, and is generally distinguished by the shape of the headdress, which varies according to the region.
The Kota inhabit the eastern part of Gabon, which is rich in iron ore, and some in the Republic of Congo. The blacksmith, in addition to wood carving, made tools for agricultural work as well as ritual weapons. The sculptures playing the role of "medium" between the living and the dead who watched over the descendants, were associated with the rites at bwete , comparable to those of the Fang . They are sometimes bifaces, the mbulu-viti, symbolizing the masculine and feminine aspect at the same time. This type of room, called ...

African sculpture whose singular face offers featureless features and a gaping mouth. The massive head, set into prominent shoulders, is decorated with a crest and a goatee. The volume of the pelvis is supported by wide, crenellated, arched legs. This type of statue was intended for funeral and initiation rites. Thick cracked patina, drying cracks.

The Kaka, or Keaka, ethnic group, so named by the German settlers, is located in a border area between Nigeria and Cameroon. Their statuary demonstrates a certain influence from other ethnic groups such as the Mumuye whose statues also present short, bent legs topped by a slender body. Their very thick and crusty patina, their wide feet and their wide open mouth are, however, typical features allowing them to be distinguished from ...

Rare Byeri ancestor figure, a singularly naturalistic work of a woman with a muscular and fleshy body. The crested headdress is underlined with metal, linear scarifications vertically divide the face.
Velvety patina, abrasions of use and erosions of the base. Desication crack.
The peoples known as the Fang, or "Pahouins", qualified as conquering warriors, invaded by successive leaps, from village to village, the entire vast region between the Sanaga in Cameroon and the Ogooué in Gabon, between the 18th and the beginning of the 20th century. The boxes containing the relics of illustrious ancestors were guarded by the oldest man in the village, the "esa". Surmounted by a statue or a head that acted as guardian of the "byeri" boxes, they were stored in a dark corner of ...

The Ijos in the centre produce relatively schematic sculptures associated with water geniuses (owuamapu), such as this head with a stretched face, on which the features protrude under a tubular forehead. Magical virtues were attributed to this type of sculpture. Many tribes are convinced that these objects acquire their powers through the rites and consecrations to which they are subjected and during which libations and dances can be performed. Interesting grainy grey patina, locally cracked. Height on a base: 52 cm.

The Ijaw are a group of Peoples of West Africa, mainly present in southern Nigeria, in the Niger Delta. At the beginning of the 17th century they migrated further west of the continent to form the Krou peoples of Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Guinea and Sierra ...

Collection of French African tribal art, the name of the collector will be communicated to the buyer.
This African figure Mumuye of the first generation, created by the sculptor rati or even molabaiene, is anchored on vigorous legs, the bust in a slight inclination . Distinguished by their structure, their hairstyle and their large pierced ears, these statues not only made it possible to call down rain but also played an apotropaic and divinatory role.
Patina of heterogeneous use. Abrasions, erosions and desiccation cracks.
The statuary emanating from the north-west region of middle Benoué, from the Kona Jukun, to the Mumuye and up to the Wurkun populations is distinguished by a relative absence of ornamentation and a refined stylization. The 100,000 Adamawa ...

Ex American tribal art collection.

Consecrated by the nganga, endowed with a magic charge (bilongo) housed in a box closed by a mirror, this statuette meets the criteria of nksi objects. The Vili produced a variety of sculptures of individual use nkisi , to which multiple virtues were attributed. The glazed eyes, encircled with resin, symbolize clairvoyance in a face with naturalistic features. Various accessories are present, some of which would accentuate the power of the object, metal in the form of a padlock, basketry backpack lined with textile, headdress made of leather, strips of fabric and feathers. Eroded base. Chocolate shiny patina.
The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo formed the group Kôngo, led by the king ...

Small anthropomorphic figure, devoid of arms, with a bust wrapped in cords, metal and garnished with cowries. The top of the head was hollowed out to receive various substances for a ritual purpose. These statuettes are said to relate to the ancestors.

In the southern coastal region of Tanzania, around Dar-es-Salaam, a relatively homogeneous group produced most of the artistic output. It includes the Swahili, Kaguru, Doé, Kwéré, Luguru, Zaramo, Kami. The second region is formed by a territory covering the south of Tanzania to Mozambique, where some Makonde and Yao, Ngindo, Mwéra, and Makua live. In the North-East of Tanzania, the Chaga, Paré, Chamba, Zigua, Maasai, Iraqw, Gogo, and Héhé have an artistic production presenting similarities with Malagasy and Batak art, ...

Statuette representing a kneeling hermaphrodite figure, hands resting on his thighs. This type of sculpture associated with an individual cult adorned the Dogon family altar. Thick and dense grainy patina in greyish browns.
Carved for the most part on commission by a family, Dogon statues can also be the object of worship by the entire community. Their functions remain little known, however. In parallel with Islam, Dogon religious rites are organized around four main cults: the Lebe, relating to fertility, under the spiritual authority of the Hogon, the Wagem, the cult of the ancestors under the authority of the patriarch, the Binou invoking the world of the spirits and directed by the priest of the Binou, and the society of the masks concerning funerals.

Ample distended ears frame the face, moreover underlined by a crenellated beard and topped with a high tiara, of this sculpted figure. The assertive posture brings out the bulbous abdomen on which the hands rest. Locally peeling dark patina. Erosions, gaps, and desication cracks.

The Jukuns are a population of West and Central Africa living mainly in Nigeria in the upper Bénoué Valley, also in northwestern Cameroon.
Thanks to the he expansion of the old Jukun Empire, the Jukun or Wurbo of Nigeria scattered into two groups: one established south of the Donga River, and the second north of the region, near the Mumuye and the Wurkum. The attacks of the Chambas first of all, then of the Fulani then, contributed to the extinction of this kingdom. Their king Aka uku, ...

African Nkisi, nkishi (pl. mankishi )statue of the Songye, whose head takes on the features of the kifwebe mask. The arms surround the bust, providing, as dictated by custom, a space to grasp the sculpture with metal hooks. Here, the magical bishimba charge appears to have been introduced at the top of the head from which a horn rises. The piece has likely been stripped of its accessories.
Grayish brown matte patina with kaolin encrusted residue. Slight lacks on the base and abrasions. These protective fetishes for homes are among the most prized in Africa. The Nkisi plays the role of mediator between god and men, responsible for protecting against various evils. The large examples are the collective property of a whole village, and the smaller figures belong to an ...

Kouyou figures represented frontally, the hands placed near the armpits, under prestigious necklaces. Their scarifications would refer to the scales of the mythical serpent Djo, which would have created the world and father of Ebongo, primordial hybrid ancestor of men. Polychrome matte patina, abrasions, and cracks.
Two totemic clans once formed the Kuyu ethnic group, living along the river of the same name, in the northwest of the People's Republic of Congo: to the west that of the panther, and to the east that of the snake. A secret male association, Ottoté, played an important political role in the appointment of chiefs. The initiation of young people ended with the revelation of the serpent god Ebongo represented in the form of a head. The Kibe-kibe dances that accompanied ...

Endowed with a tubular excrescence for gripping, this sculpture of a female figure is fixed in a classical attitude, palms arranged around the abdomen, legs disappearing into a pedestal forming a pestle called " sedine " or " dol " according to the dialect. The figuration of bracelets around the wrists and waist should be noted: In order to honor the wisdom and knowledge of the elders, the Senoufo adorned themselves with jewels that could also be placed on the altars. Brown-black oiled patina, glossy. Cracks of desiccation, localized erosions.
These figurative tribal statues Debele , Deblé , sometimes called " child of Poro " or " bush spirit ", were used in pairs during funeral processions or during ceremonies marking the end of initiation rites. The initiates of the ...