Tribal Art

French tribal art collection.
The Baga Nimba mask, is characterized by a buzzed nose evoking a bird's beak, an incised hair divided by a crest. This national symbol can reach up to 50 kg in its largest versions. Real name Demba / D'mba (or Nimba in baga language), it represents the nurturing woman, but it also evokes the bird, especially the fertility of the calao thanks to its beak-shaped nose. Supposed to increase harvests, arouse pregnancies, it is exhibited at various ceremonies, celebrations and funerals, and its use continues at present during important festivities. The wearer of the mask is wrapped in raffia and conducts a dance clocked to the rhythm of drums. This miniature copy of the classic mask has adopted over the years a matte patina, clear, nuanced dark, the eroded ...

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 ...

Witnesses to the traditions of the Hopi Indian peoples of Arizona, the sculpted Katsinam (sing. Kachina) objects are expressed during traditional dances accompanying the annual festivals in favor of the rain. Traditional Kachina dolls are, for the Amerindian Pueblo group (Hopi, Zuni, Tewa Village, Acoma Pueblo and Laguna Pueblo), educational tools offered to children at the end of ritual celebrations. These statuettes, embodying a great diversity of spirits, represent the katchina dancers and the colors are associated with the cardinal points.
The patina is matte and velvety, minor abrasions, restoration on one foot.

Collection of Belgian African tribal art whose name will be communicated to the buyer.
Embodying a lineage founder, this sculpture is distinguished by its concave ogive face surmounted by a tubular protrusion. The piercing eyes are represented by cabochons pierced with a pupil. The surface is set with skilfully juxtaposed copper wires, all evoking for some the serpent naja. The elements of the posterior part symbolize a hairstyle. This sculpture is characteristic of the Mahongwe of the extreme northeast of Gabon, on the border with Congo. The baskets containing the relics of illustrious ancestors, generally surmounted by two reliquaries, were kept in temples in the village. One of them embodied the founder of the lineage, and the second his descendants. br>The worship of the ...

Rare and old fang type mask, the center of which is coated with a pink ocher tint. Intended to unmask sorcerers, this type of African mask was carved on the eve of ceremonies. The austere physiognomy was meant to counter occult powers. Accompanied by words, gestures, dances and sacrifices, it also intervened during initiations out of sight of the profane. Matte grainy patina. Abrasions, cracks.
Among the Fang, established in a region extending from Yaoundé in Cameroon to Ogooué in Gabon, the appearance of these masks generally coated with kaolin (the white color evokes the power of the ancestors), in the middle of the night, could cause dread. This type of mask was used by the ngil religious and judicial male society which no longer exists today. This secret society was in charge ...

Sculpture of great sobriety and yet of great expressive force, it depicts a male being whose narrow bust gradually widens towards bowed legs. Thick forearms surround the umbilicus. The sketchy head is simply notched. This type of statue was used during funeral and initiation rites. Nuanced ritual patina, erosions.

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

The usual African objects have always been the means of choice for the artistic expression of African sculptors, especially in Côte d'Ivoire. The rice spoons of the Baoulé, and the Dan neighbors, were not only intended to be offered to the most hospitable woman in the community, as a trophy. They were used at community meals that closed traditional festivals and ritual ceremonies, but were also used for fertility rituals: rice was then thrown at the crowd to ensure protection and fertility.
The spoon extends from a female bust with a long curved neck. The latter supports a graceful head with features and a very delicately chiseled hairstyle. Black patina lustrous by use.
High on a base: 25 cm.

Scepter with figured anthropomorphic motif sitting at the end of the stick. The lower part is made up of several sculpted sections and then extends into a point. Two-tone matte patina, slight loss Height on base: 67 cm.
The Ibibios are a people of West Africa, mainly present in the south-east of Nigeria (State of Akwa Ibom), but also in Ghana, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. 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, shared by the Oron and Eket established on the right bank of the Cross River, is under the authority of the highest-ranking members of the male Ekpo (ghost) association. The presence of the uninitiated in ...

Collection of African Belgian Tribal Art
Very popular with contemporary interior designers, the Ci Wara has become, in addition to a collector's item, an essential accessory for decorators who love sleek design. This one has a dark brown patina, having danced during the first half of the 20th century, forgotten at the bottom of a hut until 1988, it was collected by the collector in 1988 in Mali.
It would be an animal - genius called Ciwara who would have taught the Bambara to cultivate the land. The latter remember the myth through the stylized representation of an antelope antelope, whose name ci wara means "wild animal of the earth". Worn at the top of the skull and held in place by a kind of small basket, these crests accompanied the dancers during the rituals of the tòn, ...

Old stool seat evoking the mythical arch of the Dogon creation. A metal staple consolidates the structure. The decoration of the blanks presents subjects associated with the Nommos ancestors. Velvety matte patina, abrasions and desication cracks.
According to the Dogon cosmogony, the first primordial ancestors of Dogon, called Nommo, were the bisexual water gods. They were created in heaven by the creator god Amma and descended from heaven to earth in an ark.
The Nommo is said to have founded the eight lineages of Dogon and instilled weaving, the art of blacksmithing, and the agriculture to their human descendants.
Ref. : "Dogon" H. Leloup, ed. Quai Branly Museum.

Drums are used in Africa not only to transmit messages but also by the witch doctor during ritual ceremonies. This type of slit drum is adorned with a sculpted head and has two sticks housed in the sound box.
Glossy dark brown patina, slight abrasions.
The Punu are a Bantu people of Central Africa established mainly in southern Gabon, also in the Republic of Congo in the Niari region. They live in independent villages divided into clans and families. Social cohesion is ensured by the Moukouji society, whose essential role is to subjugate the evil spirits of the forest. Within this same group named Shira, the Lumbu, Loumbu, Balumbu, settled on the coastal part of Gabon, and in the Republic of Congo, keep the bones of their ancestors in reliquary baskets decorated with ...

Statue generally associated with female initiation rituals, practices aimed at improving fertility or divinatory ceremonies. The hairstyles represented those, fashioned with oil and red ochre, of young nyaneka girls following the efuko ritual. Light golden satin patina, cracks. It is on the Benguela plateau in Angola that the Ovimbudu, Ovimbundu, have been established for several centuries, made up of farmers and breeders. Forming the largest ethnic group in Angola, they belong to Bantu speakers, such as Nyaneka, Handa, Nkhumbi, and other groups from the region of Huila, or Wila. Their statuary made in light wood is relatively limited.
Ref. : "Black African tribal art" ed. Assouline; "Treasures of Africa" Museum of Tervuren.

In African tribal art, throwing weapons and parade weapons were primitive currencies dedicated to commercial and social exchanges.
These objects in similar forms are found among the Gobu, the Mbugu, the Banda. According to the ethnic group the names vary: Bo, Nguindza or Guindza gbo as among the Banda.

Their shape places them in the category of "parade axes". Some more compact shapes also served as throwing knives.

The older ones will be made from a fairly light forged metal with a bare handle. The shapes and size vary from place to place.

This specimen has a handle entirely sheathed in copper wire, and the blade has discreet incisions and decorative hatching associated with human scarifications. The patina is grainy and velvety.

A prestigious badge of an initiated member of the Bwami, this necklace, which was worn daily, incorporates bilondo objects publicly indicating the status achieved by its holder. If the uninitiated reads certain signs, the follower will understand more deeply the symbolism of wearing this or that accessory.
The necklace consists of carved wooden beads and bone teeth, horn, talisman in the form of a miniature mask in ivory, cauri and pearl.
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 individuals live in self-contained villages surrounded by palisades, usually on the top of hills. The role of the chief, kindi , is held by the oldest man of the clan, who must be the highest ...

This mask forms a miniature reproduction of a large mask of the Gelede society, a human head surmounted by a stage, in this case a figure of seated deity, leaning on two sticks, or a priestess of worship. Aimed at an individual use, this type of object stood on the family altar. Satin light brown patina.
The Gelede country in Nigeria pays tribute to the mothers, especially the oldest of them, whose powers would be comparable to those of the Yoruba gods, or orisa, and the ancestors, osi and who 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 supposed to urge mothers to use their extraordinary qualities for a peaceful and constructive ...

Pipe, or oriental chibouque, chibouk, with terracotta bowl, filigree metal handle decorated with arabesques and interlacing. The stove has a small lid that a chain connects to the pipe.

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 ...

Unlike the relatively flat kota ancestor sculptures, this partially metal clad statue bears a large head with a prominent forehead, framed by cylindrical ears. The eroded part is supported by a metal base.
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 ...

African art Dogon
Witness to the bronze sculpture of the Dogons, this subject offers a characteristic slender morphology. The character illustrates a protective ancestor, or a mythical being of Dogon cosmogony. Pretty locally ocher light green patina.
The Dogon are a people renowned for their cosmogony, their myths and legends, living in the south-west of the bend of the Niger in the Mopti region of Mali and part of the north of the The villages are often perched on top of the scree on the side of the hills, according to a unique architecture. The history of Dogon migrations and settlements (about ten main groups, about fifteen different languages) involves several hypotheses. For some historians, the Dogon would have fled from an area west of their current location, ...

A prestigious object, this fly swatter features a finely chiseled "yiteke" miniature acting as a talisman. The figure is extended by a handle on which a cord is tied, attaching the horsehair and the fur constituting the whip. Glossy brown patina.

Hierarchical and authoritarian, made up of formidable warriors, Yaka society was governed by lineage leaders with the right to life and death over their subjects. Hunting and the prestige that results from it are the occasion nowadays, for the Yaka, to invoke the ancestors and to resort to rituals using charms. The society of initiation of young people is the n-khanda, found among the eastern Kongo (Chokwe, Luba, etc.), and which uses various charms and masks in order to ensure a vigorous lineage. The artistic productions of the ...

Jan Putteneers African Art Collection.

Usual object but also ceremonial, he accompanied the Chokwe who wore it as a pendant, which helped polish their surface. The sculpted head could represent a head wearing the crown chipangula. Two small side holes have been fitted out for sound.
Played together, whistles, produced in large numbers, were used both during dances and hunting to call dogs but also to war. Thanks to the few sounds they made, information was exchanged from one place to another.
The Chokwé have become known in the Western world for their works of art, which are highly appreciated in the general context of African art.
The sculpted face of the founding hero Tshibinda Ilunga is recognized on this piece. This central character has a very special ...