Tribal Art

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 ...

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. 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.

On the border of India and Myanmar (Burma, or Union of Burma in English) the Nagas use these machetes called dao worn in wide belts. The belt forms a solid frame made of braided vegetable fibers, extended by the rectangular and flat wooden case. The blade is held in its sheath by a braided wicker cord, stretched on either side of the wooden element. The dao is used for war purposes, but also for agricultural work and for everyday activities.
Usage abrasions.

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 ...

Collection of African French art
Among the elements of traditional furniture from East Africa, this African neckrest with a heterogeneous patina lustrous by use bears a decoration consisting of a series of small notches. More than eighty ethnic groups in Ethiopia have produced different headrests for individual use named yagerteras, or “my country pillows” or “Boraati” (“tomorrow you”).
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Over time, the realization becoming more complex until they became real small masterpieces of sculpture, they also became individual objects of prestige and power, placed on family or collective altars. These objects were originally intended to protect the elaborate hairstyles of their owner (male or female) during the night. But among the Turkana, for example, it is the emblem of the ...

A prestigious object displayed during ceremonies and ritual dances, this weapon has an anthropomorphic handle depicting an ancestor with braids drawn towards the nape of the neck. Similar to the Luba, whose effigy bears abdominal scarification marks, the Tabwa and the populations that surround them generally depict the body in its entirety. Smooth mahogany red patina. The Tabwa are an ethnic group present in the southeast of the DRC. Simple farmers with no centralized power, they federated around tribal chiefs after coming under the influence of the Luba. It is mainly during this period that their artistic movement was expressed through statues and masks. The Tabwa practiced ancestor worship and dedicated some of their statues to them. Animists, their beliefs are ...

The ritual consumption of palm wine from an individual cup, Kopa, Koopha, was the prerogative of the lineage head or matrilineal supreme head during certain ceremonies, such as a marriage. It was then passed on to the next generation. This yaka-type dish, which included regalia, prestigious objects symbolizing status and reserved for the chieftaincy, offers symbols carved in high relief. Similar models named koopha were used by the Yaka ( Fig.6 p.17 in "Yaka" ed. 5Continents. ) Glossy mahogany patina.
The Suku and Yaka ethnic groups, established in a region between the Kwango and Kwilu rivers, in the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo, recognize common origins and have certain similar social structures and cultural practices. The presence of Holo and Kongo among them in ...

N'duleri-style Dogon statue depicting a griot with a stringed musical instrument, a lute named djéli-n'goni among the Bambara (lute of the griots), or n' koni. The sound box was made of half a calabash. Miniature characters, relating to the myths of the Dogon creation, form the uprights of the seat or seat the ancestor. These symbols, associated with the role of music in rituals, refer to the magical nature of sculpture. Brown patina, eroded oiled surface.
Sculpted for the most part on order placed by a family and in this case arranged on the family altar Tiré Kabou, Dogon tribal statues can also be the object of worship on the part of the whole community when they commemorate, for example, the founding of the village. These statues, sometimes embodying the nyama of the ...

Acquired in Savalou, Benin by the owner, this boccio features a figure with arms tightened around the trunk and comes in rounded shapes. A thin cotton cloth, draped around the legs, was knotted on the object partially coated with ochre clay. Very good condition.
The botchio (from bo: 'evil' in fon, and tchio , 'cadau') erected at the top of a pole was erected at the entrance of the village or a house in order to remove any threat, physical or spiritual. Some of them took minimalist forms, barely put on around a central trunk. The multitude of gods fon (the vodun), similar to those of Yoruba under different names, is represented by fetishes of all shapes and kinds. Their sanctuaries can be found in Togo, Dahomey, and western Nigeria. Statuettes embodying the legba protectors of the ...

Sculpture from the area around Dar-es-Salam, on the coast of Tanzania, where the Kaguru, Luguru, Kwéré, Zaramo and Doé tribes live.
The female figure is recurrent in the sculpted works.
Perched on a seat with openwork feet, a woman wears a double crest pierced with holes. The arms are exaggeratedly long, extending from fingered hands, one of which rests on a breast.
Gray beige patina with kaolin.
The Zaramo and the tribes that surround them, such as the Kwéré and the Doé, designed dolls generally associated with fertility, but to which other virtues would be attributed. Its primary role is played during the period of confinement of the young initiate Zaramo. The novice will behave towards the object as with a child, and will dance with it during the closing ...

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 ...

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.

Traditional shield carved in monoxyle wood, in the shape of a long hourglass. The concave surface tapers in the center, and features a thick grip on the reverse. The wood is dyed with coloring plant and mineral decoctions and inlaid with mother-of-pearl elements. "Salawaku" means "protection", the shield symbolizes a body, and the inlaid patterns of the parts of this anatomy. The drop-shaped inlays would be associated with the eyes, the number of which is related to the enemies that the ancestors defeated. The shield can be part of the dowry and is carried in the left hand during the cakalele warrior dance or the hoyla, ceremonial wedding dance.

Collection of French Asian art.
This rice-harvesting sickle, named Kândiev trâkong in Cambodia, is made of buffalo horn, the smooth and oiled surface of which has a khaki tint. Its curve is inspired by the naga serpent and traditional Southeast Asian myths. Copper rings surround the handle, the end of which is lined with brass and copper. The cutting edge of the blade offers a very finely serrated edge.
Old piece whose balance of curved shapes is enhanced by a quality base.

French African tribal art collection.
This African mask forms a miniature reproduction of a large mask from the Gelede society, i.e. a human head surmounted by a scene, in this case a seated figure of divinity, surrounded by minor subjects . Intended for individual use, this type of object sat on the family altar. Matte polychrome patina.
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 ...

French African art collection.
African statuette of an altar belonging to a widespread cult among the animist Idoma as well as among the Igala and the Yoruba of the South. This traditional sculpture is supposed to promote fertility and protect offspring. These statues which benefited from offerings were preserved in sanctuaries. Chipped reddish-brown patina, kaolin residue around the eyes. Losses (feet), desication cracks.
The Idoma live at the confluence of the Bénué and the Niger. Numbering 500,000, they are farmers and traders. There are Igbo, Cross River and Igala influences in their art and customs and it is often difficult to distinguish them from their neighbours. Royal lineage members of their oglinye society, glorifying courage, wear masks and crests during ...

Support for a traditional cult, this two-headed sculpture that was placed on an altar consists of reclining bust figures. The abdomen that connects them is pierced with a thick metal peg. This accessory could represent the umbilicus associated with the lineage.
Old, velvety patina, desiccation cracks, thin blackish residual film.
Named Gurunsi, Gourundi, by their Mossi neighbors, the groups living to the west and south of the Mossi plateau, Lela, Winiama, Nuna and Nunuma are the main mask carvers. Religiously, the Gurunsi believe in a superior being, Yi, who withdrew from the world after creating it and whose altar occupies the center of the village. Yi has sent, to represent him, the spirit Su, embodied in all the masks and honored by an altar which can be replaced by a ...

Shield of elliptical and convex shape, with regular dense and neat braiding, and whose center bears a wooden protuberance.
A nomadic people, the Tutsi were particularly decimated by the Islamic slave trade and by recurrent internal wars. The groups of people called "Bantous interlacustres", established between Lake Victoria and the Limpopo River, include the Ganda, Nyoro, Nkole, Soga, Toro, Hima, and the Tutsi of Rwanda and Burundi. Their cultures have similarities, like their artistic production and their objects of daily use. The Tutsi raise cattle. They also excel in the art of weaving and basketry. Source: "Africa, the art of a continent" Ed. Prestel P.157

This naturalistic sculpture depicts a vigorous figure well camped on very large digitized feet, characteristic of the dan sculpture. Ritual anointings left crusty residues on the surface. The necklace accessorized with a cauri, symbol of fertility and wealth, also has a magical reach. Abraded spotted patina.
As gifts of women, food, festive ceremonies and honorable status once rewarded the dan sculptors to whom this talent was granted during a dream. The latter was the means of communication of Du, invisible spiritual power, with men. Statuary, rare, played a prestigious role with its holder. These are mainly effigies of wives, la m , wooden human beings. These are not incarnations of spirits or effigies of ancestors, but prestigious figures representing living people, often ...