Oba warrior figure originating from Benin. The male character wears ornaments around the waist and neck. He also wears a hairstyle, showing his high rank in the benign society, we find in fact the frontal excrescence of the royal headdresses. The art of Benin, an art of court, it is closely associated with the king, known as Oba and exclusively for the use of the inhabitants of the royal palace and, most often, placed on altars dedicated by each new Oba . The tradition of Ife bronze course objects dates back to the 14th century. The Benin bronzes are probably among the most famous of the tribal art of Black Africa.

Made of 100% Bronze, copper alloy.

Model is W 8 – H 22 and weight 0.4 kg.

This zoomorphic figure with protruding eyes is a classic example of the Mambila people of northern Nigeria.  The wide range of uses to which such a figure may have been employed was probably determined by the medicines in the possession of the owner, and how it was activated, rather than by specific stylistic characteristics of the sculpture itself.

Made of 100% wood, pigments.

Model is W 41 - H 18 and Weight 1.2 kg.

This fantastic Chamba statue, is not very common and has an exceptional aesthetic presence and compelling abstract design. It was thought to have either a protective or healing function for the Wurkun or Bikwin peoples of the Benue River Valley.

Made of 100% carved wood and camwood powder.

Model is W 60 – H 14 and weight 3 kg.

This miniature free-standing brass head cast in the lost wax technique originates from Ife, Nigeria. The religious and former royal centre of the Yoruba people. According to the oral traditions of the Yoruba people, Ife is the place where life and civilisation began. Ife is regarded as the legendary homeland of theYoruba-speaking peoples and its sacred ruler, the Ooni, is still revered as the descendant of the original creator gods.

Made of 100% Bronze, copper alloy.

Model is W 9 – H 18 and weight 0.3 kg.

This enigmatic creation originates from central Nigeria’s Benue River Region. It was a kinetic ancestral sculpture, devoted to agricultural rites as well as to those relating to initiation of young boys into adulthood. Access to those events was highly circumscribed. Women, children, and outsiders were not allowed to view those nocturnal apparitions.The upper half distills an ancestral presence to essential features that are dramatically amplified.

Made of 100% wood.

Model is W 28 – H 69 and weight 1.9 kg.

This rare and beautiful 19th–mid-20th century mother-and-child maternity figure carved for the Royal Court originates from northeastern Igboland, Nigeria. The Shango crest sits on atop the head, with ethnic adornments and scarification and exceptional detail in the facial expression. Shango is the god of thunder and lightning. Shango is both feared in the context of justice and magic and venerated as his manifestations bring beneficial rain for crops.

Made of 100% wood.

Model is W 75 - H 16 and weight 5.2 kg.

This authentic antique Benin bronze ancestral altar bell, cast in the form of a dome comes from Nigeria. The bell is surmounted with by a horseman and adorned by geometical shape. Tribal bells were used for a variety of purposes, such as proclaiming a sacred presence as well as a neutralizing hostile or harmful forces. Bells were used as tools of communication, as portable instruments for conveying important messages, and as a form or currency. The predominant method employed by the Edo in creating objects like the Bells, called “lost-wax casting, does not permit for a mold to be used more than once, a fact which accounts for the idiosyncrasies and lack of exact copies in known examples of Benin bronzes. Using the bells and rattle stuffs to call the ancestor’s spirit, the oba offered sacrifices to him and to the earth on the altar.

Made of 100% Bronze, copper alloy.

Model is W 9 – H 32 and weight 0.4 kg.

This is a large corpus of Yoruba sculpture known and identified as to symbol and meaning identified to the various orishas or deities. This beautiful sculpture depicts a seated woman, holding a child on her knees and breastfeding. To the Yoruba the prime manifestation of the life force is fertility and women are the stronger sex as the life force manifests itself directly in them in the form of menstruation and childbirth. These figures, some of which were brightly painted, were placed on altars in shrines or displayed at special ceremonies. In Yoruba society, the most important role of women is to bear children, and as such, sculptures depicting mother and child are widespread, reflecting a number of ideas, such as continuity, ancestors, or family.

Made of 100% wood, adroned with beads and cowrie shells.

Model is W 36 – H 100 and weight 2.4 kg.

Chamba sculptures are not very common and have an exceptional aesthetic presence and compelling abstract design. It was thought to have either a protective or healing function for the Wurkun or Bikwin peoples of the Benue River Valley, and were kept in small houses. Their function is to ensure the well-being of the owner and his family.

Made of 100% wood, pigment.

Model is W 12 - H 35 and weight 1.2 kg.

This light mask (late 1800s) represents the spirit of an ancestor and was used for social control by Ngil, the judiciary association. The facial markings, abstract features and strong. Elegant lines are typical of Fang masks, which were among the most influential.

Made of 100% Native fiber, wood and paint.

Model is W 48 - H 21 and weight 1.6 kg.

This tribal Mask From the Chokwe is called pwo or mwana pwo mask and  originates from Angola. It has an elaborate hairline made up of a braided fibre fabric, beautiful and unusual scarification patterns on the forehead and cheeks. Pwo signifies womanhood and an elder ancestral female associated with fertility. The cross form on the forehead, known as cingelyengelye, is an early Portuguese influence.

Made of 100% wood, fiber, Patina.

Model is W 28 – H 17 and weight 0.5 kg.

This authentic antique Benin bronze ancestral altar bell, cast in the form of a dome comes from Nigeria. The bell is surmounted with by a horseman and adorned by geometical shape. Tribal bells were used for a variety of purposes, such as proclaiming a sacred presence as well as a neutralizing hostile or harmful forces. Bells were used as tools of communication, as portable instruments for conveying important messages, and as a form or currency. The predominant method employed by the Edo in creating objects like the Bells, called “lost-wax casting, does not permit for a mold to be used more than once, a fact which accounts for the idiosyncrasies and lack of exact copies in known examples of Benin bronzes. Using the bells and rattle stuffs to call the ancestor’s spirit, the oba offered sacrifices to him and to the earth on the altar.

Made of 100% Bronze, copper alloy.

Model is W 8 – H 32 and weight 0.4 kg.

This authentic antique Benin bronze ancestral altar bell, cast in the form of a dome comes from Nigeria. The bell is surmounted with by a horseman and adorned by geometical shape. Tribal bells were used for a variety of purposes, such as proclaiming a sacred presence as well as a neutralizing hostile or harmful forces. Bells were used as tools of communication, as portable instruments for conveying important messages, and as a form or currency. The predominant method employed by the Edo in creating objects like the Bells, called “lost-wax casting, does not permit for a mold to be used more than once, a fact which accounts for the idiosyncrasies and lack of exact copies in known examples of Benin bronzes. Using the bells and rattle stuffs to call the ancestor’s spirit, the oba offered sacrifices to him and to the earth on the altar.

Made of 100% Bronze, copper alloy.

Model is W 8 – H 30 and weight 0.5 kg.

This authentic, well preserved bronze plaque of the Benin Kingdom in what is now Nigeria exhibits a virtuosity and sophistication of style that has astonished the Western world. The figure and pose are classic from the high period of Benin art in the 15th century and honor the King or Oba.

Made of 100% Bronze

Model is W 36 – H 28 and weight 64 kg.

This small zoomorphic figure made of old bronze, black iron reveals some of the most accomplished sculptures made by a Nigerian tribe called Mumuye. Mumuye figure demonstrates an astonishing range of variations, testifying to their makers’ unbridled creativity and limitless inventiveness. These small sculptures reinforce the status and prestige of their owner, as they hold them in their hands, they have a dialogue with them and thus ensures them personal protection.

Made of 100% old bronze.

Model is W 58 - H 17 and weight 2.2 kg.

This authentic, free-standing brass head cast in the lost wax technique of the Benin Kingdom, in what is now Nigeria, exhibits a virtuosity and sophistication of style that has astonished the Western world since they were visited in the 15th century. The face's shape and unique expression, a tranquil and dignified presence with the transcendent gaze clearly indicate qualities of genuine nobility: endurance, far-sightedness, determination, and wisdom.

Made of 100% Copper

Age late 14th-early 15th century

Model is W 40 – H 26 and weight 5 kg.

This type of circular pendant representing a sun refers to an ancient and complex passage of the Dogon cosmogony, at a time when light was given to men through 10 suns. It is is relatively rare in western collections. The sun symbol identification that is sometimes made seems to be foreign rather than a Dogon interpretation. 

Made of 100% Brass / Bronze

Model is W 7 – H 2 and weight 0.12 kg.

Female spirit statue (Anjenu) originating from the Idoma peoples that live south of the Benue river. The statue evokes a spiritual protective power that inhabits the water or the bush and sometimes appears in dreams. Anjenu helps to cure illness and, above all, aids female fertility. The Anjenu was invoked by men who wanted their wives to become pregnant. Protruding conical breasts and navels are common. The face is usually painted with white pigments, scarification marks in front of the ears as well as the vertical one on the forehead, and the blackened lips surrounding the mouth with its clearly visible teeth - a stylistic characteristic often shared with Ibo people. Seated statues are believed to incarnate fertility, a frequent theme in the region.

Made of 100% wood, pigment.

Model is W 30 – H 50 and weight 0.6 kg.

The beautifully carved figure is an important addition to any collection. The carving is a key example of an Igbo sculptural genre called ikenga. It depicts a women in a seated position with a child on her laps. The mother and child ikenga, an homage to maternity and motherhood, could have been part of a shrine, where it would have received prayers and sacrifices in return for the ancestors’ support and guidance or had a more public role appearing during festivals and religious ceremonies.

Made of 100% wood.

Model is W 28 – H 73 and weight 2.6 kg.

This finely carved bronze figure represents a dwarf at the court of Benin. Wearing courtly dress in continuation of the traditional bronze art of Benin in form of a bearded person with o-shaped legs and neck adornment. In Edo culture dwarfs were known as the jugglers and acrobats in the Oba court.

Made of 100% Bronze

Model is W 46 – H 22 and weight 5 k

This extremely rare Mama Bush Cow in full figure is a classic example of a traditional African figure created by the Mama people who live in the interior of Nigeria in the Benue River Valley north of the Jos plateau.

Made of 100% wood, camwood, pigment.

Model is W 51 - H 15 and weight 3 kg.

This Mid 20th century Chamba statue is not very common and their role is little known but it has been reported that  figures such as this are used in cult activity known as Jup that is in the main dominated by men or in the case of women, Jem.

Made of 100% carved wood and camwood powder.

Model is W 50 - H 167 and weight 4.7 kg.

The Jagunjagun ( 'warrior' or Ogun meaning 'god of war') mask represents ancestors of power with the ability to protect the community against external threats. It brings to mind energy, power and authority but is also a visual representation of past calvary that protected the Ekiti peoples during warfare. Epa helmet masks are used to promote health and wellbeing within by celebrating and honouring ancestors, cultural heroes and important individuals (including mothers, priests, farmers, kings and hunters) within a village. Originating in Ekiti and spreading to much of North-Eastern Yoruba towns (including Owo, Efon Alaye, Igbomina and Ijesa), the bi-annual, week-long Epa festival acknowledges the roles these individuals have played in building a successful community. The Jagunjagun ( 'warrior' or Ogun meaning 'god of war') mask represents ancestors of power with the ability to protect the community against external threats. It brings to mind energy, power and authority but is also a visual representation of past calvary that protected the Ekiti peoples during warfare.

Made of 100% wood.

Model is W 34 – H 79 and weight 2.5 kg.

This fine and colorful mask is an old Eastern Mbuya Pende. Pende masks are among the most dramatic works of all African art. The Pende tribe carves several different types of masks that they use to communicate with spirits during rituals.

Made of 100% wood

Model is W 49 – H 24 and weight 0. kg.

This beautiful miniature head cast in the lost wax technique originates from Ife, Nigeria, the religious and former royal centre of the Yoruba people. It is believed to represent an Ooni which means king. Such sculptures such as this was very unqiue to the culture of African art. According to the oral traditions of the Yoruba people, Ife is the place where life and civilisation began. Ife is regarded as the legendary homeland of theYoruba-speaking peoples and its sacred ruler, the Ooni, is still revered as the descendant of the original creator gods.

Made of 100% Bronze, copper alloy.

Model is W 9 – H 22 and weight 0.4 kg.

This Early-mid 20th century mother-and-child figures are placed in shrines and used by diviners in northeastern Igboland, Nigeria. The Igbo figures of mother and child are very rare.

Made of 100% wood, kaolin.

Model is W 55 - H 19 and weight 3.5 kg.