The beautifully carved figure is a key example of an Igbo sculptural genre called ikenga. It depicts a a male warrior in a seated position on a one-legged stool, holding a cutlass in one hand and a tool. The figure wears an elaborate headdress comprised of two curving, interconnected horn-like extensions, with three projecting cone shapes on either side of the face. The horns, perhaps those of a ram, underline the rank or chief status of the image. The figure’s forehead and temples are graced with parallel incisions imitating local scarification patterns known as ichi. The ichi scars signal that the sculpture represents a high-ranking member of one of the many Igbo male associations. The white color around the eyes, derived from chalk, signifies purity and protection, and refers to the benevolence of the spirits.

Made of 100% wood.

Model is W 28 – H 96 and weight 2.6 kg.

This figure represents a female kneeling figure holding a bowl, known as Olumeye. Her facial features are very expressive and are carved with naturalistic detailing such as large scarification on cheeks and forehead. The finial hairstyle called known as irun agogo, adds to the figure's beauty. The patina is shiny and smooth. This figure, a recent bride or a priestess, depicts an homage to maternity or motherhood and was used as a shrine to deities Shango or Eshu in the Yoruba religion. The piece has a shine and rich patina. The Olumeye are carved most often in the shape of a rooster and placed in front of a female figure who is shown kneeling in a position of submission and offering. The bowl was used to serve cola nuts to elite guests.

Made of 100% wood.

Model is W 66 – H 14 and weight 3.8 kg.

This finely crafted bronze Royal leopard was made by a craftsman blacksmith using the technique of lost wax, with beautifully detailed patterns, depicting the leopard skin. A "Leopard" was used as a symbol of Justice and power in the Yoruba culture. African proverbs about leopards are so "spot on": The rain wets the leopard's spots but does not wash them off." Leopard appears most frequently in yoruba art, as “king of the forest”, his reputation is as great as that of the Oba, or king. The leopard came to be a royal symbol as it heralded for the balance between his strength and his reserve and moderation as a leader. The leopard symbolizes the complete harmony between two compelling forces – the menacing and the moderating – that, in Benin, it is believed every ideal Oba should possess.

Made of 100% Bronze, copper alloy.

Model is W 38 – H 50 and weight 1.4 kg

This kneeling maternity figure originates from the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria. This figure depict represents a queen mother as she would sit in state on formal occasions. The kneeling position is a gesture of respect, devotion, and submission. Thus the figure represented in the carving is probably a petitioner rather than a deity. The sculpture may have been a votive offering from a woman who had successfully petitioned for a child. Such royal maternity figures were kept with the venerated seats of ancestral chiefs in special rooms, or they were housed in the shrines of powerful deities that were particularly concerned with the well-being of a royal person, perhaps a queen mother.

Made of 100% wood.

Model is W 66 - H 14 and weight 3.8 kg.

This Kunin statuette originates from Middle Benue River Valley, Nigeria, and is distinguished by its overall elegant proportions. It is stylistically compared to their Mumuye and Jukun neighbors. This figure is not very common and their role is little known but it has been reported that figures such as this are used in a 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, patina.

Model is W 13 - H 69 and weight 4 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 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.

This unusual and particularly imaginative helmet like mask is from the Nsukka area, the northern part of the northcentral Igbo region in Nigeria. This region has one of the most complex and diverse mask making traditions in Nigeria.

Made of 100% wood

Model is W 33 – H 25 and weight 1.2 kg.

This Ife bracelet from Benin is made of bronze and was used as currency and left as a gift of great value to the bride, as a wish for prosperity. In addition to the consistency and weight, this cuff is remarkable because of the details of the decorations, which are a clear sign of the Benin artistic mastery. The holes, perfectly integrated in the design, demonstrate the use of the valuable lost wax technique.

Made of 100% Brass / Bronze

Model is W 6 – H 13 and weight 0.6 kg.

This Kunin statuette originates from Middle Benue River Valley, Nigeria, and is distinguished by its overall elegant proportions. It is stylistically compared to their Mumuye and Jukun neighbors. This figure is not very common and their role is little known but it has been reported that figures such as this are used in a 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, patina.

Model is W 7 - H 40 and weight 0.2 kg.

Made of 100% Terracotta

Model is W 18 - H 47 and D 14 weight 7 kg

 

This sculpture originates from the Igbo peoples, from southern Eastern Nigeria, near a small river called Benue. The tribe is linked to the Idoma. The sculpture is depicting a male seating on what seems to be a royal stool. Seated statues are believed to incarnate fertility, a frequent theme in the region. They help cure illness, and help in reproduction, and fertility. The male figure must have been a royal, a merchant or a trader.

Seated statues are believed to incarnate fertility, a frequent theme in the region. They cure illnesses, and help in reproduction, and fertility. There is strong social pressure toward individual distinction, and men can move upward through successive grades by demonstrating their achievements and their generosity. 

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 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 49 - H 18 and weight 1.5 kg.

A particularly unusual helmet like mask from the Nsukka area, the northern part of the north-central Igbo region in Nigeria. This region has one of the most complex and diverse mask making traditions in Nigeria.

Made of 100% wood.

Model is W 39 - H 22 and weight 0.7 kg.

"Elu" mask with an expressive Bird like face and hinged jaw originates from the Ogoni tribe in Nigeria, early 20th century. Wooden face mask with hinged, movable jaw. Lower jaw portion attached to upper by narrow wooden threads on each side. Semicircular disc like ears protrude from sides of face. Scarification marks with geometrically incised designs appear on both sides of the face at outer corner of eye area. The eyes are hollow almond shaped openings. The head decoration has a raised portion, with a vertical light-painted keloid or scar mark the center.

Made of 100% light hand-carved cane wood, fiber and pigments.

Model is W 30 - H 19 and weight 3 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 3.6 kg.

Finely cast bronze (brass - copper alloy) figural scene comes from Nigeria. It depicts a kneeling female figure worker or farmer. The work of bronze by the technique of wax lost in African art.

Made of 100% Bronze, copper alloy.

Model is W 6 – H 27 and weight 0.5 kg.

Ancestral Oba warrior figure coming 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 24 and weight 0.4 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 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 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 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 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 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 a king. 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" Brass, copper alloy.

Model is W 9 – H 22 and weight 0.4 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 zoomorphic figure with protruding eyes and a large open mouth and carved teeth is a classic example of the Mambila people of northern Nigeria. They are thought to embody ancestors who are responsible for the clan's wealth.  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, red pigments.

Model is W 39 - H 20 and weight 1.1 kg.