Tribal Treasures in Dutch Private Collections

africa • indonesia • melanesia

bw.catetnographica:Opmaak 1 21-10-2008 16:14 Pagina 33

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Mother and childmende, sierra leone

The Poro and Sande societies of the Mende cover justice and social life.Other associations focus on the remedy of mental and physical com-plaints. In the past, such societies used statues representing a female inconsultations. Such a female was generally depicted without feet. Statuesof mother and child are rare. They were possibly made for special coun-seling in order to enhance fertility and pregnancy. The statue shows a seated woman with a child lying across her lap whichshe supports with both hands. The statue has round, plastic shapes anddisplays the Mende beauty ideal such as a high forehead, a reduced face,a high swept coiffure and strands of hair falling in cascades and a longneck with fatrolls. This hair dress was fashionable in c.1900 amongwomen of the elite.

Wood, medium glossy brownish black patina; heigth 45.5 cm.

Ex-Collection Fred ten Houten; Volkenkundig Museum ‘Gerardus van der Leeuw’

1970-1995; Publ.: Dagan 1989, p. 70


Helmet mask, zo gbegola, liberia

A classical Gola Bundu mask with two tresseshanging down towards the front along side a centralknot. The side and rear have a permanent decorationconsisting of small, stylized cowrie shells, whichexpress prestige and wealth as do the fatrolls displayedon the back. Interestingly, the concave face is carvedin the shape of a crescent.

35Wood, glossy black patina; heigth 35 cm.

Ref.: Meneghini 2006, pp. 27-37


Wood, fibre, partly encrusted, beige patina; heigth 26.5 cm.

Ref.: Adams in Phillips 1995, p. 362

Masktoma, guinea, sierra leone, liberia

In Toma/Loma society the men’s Poro associationdominates. In rites de passage such as initiation, thisassociation uses masks that combine human andanimal traits. This mask is a reduced representationof the flat face mask which is known by the nameNyangbai, the wife of the great forest spirit.

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Wood, metal, glossy black patina, heigth 25 cm.

Ex-Collection Morris Pinto; Publ.: Arts d’Afrique Noire 32

Ref.: Harley 1975 (1950), pp. 39-40

Mask mano/gio (dan), liberia and guinea

Masks with a remarkably detailed physiog-nomy are difficult to divide into categories. The plastic representation of the facial features marks this example as a portrait mask. Portrait masks were made to commemorateindividuals, who in the recent past had occupied a prominent position within the community.Portraying a living person also occurred. Once themask is ready to perform, the spirit is present andreceives the name of the person who is portrayed.The portraits were given a special task within themask tradition of the Poro and other societies, inwhich the personal qualities of the portrayed personreturned to life.

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Wood, lime, red pigment, aluminum, fibre; heigth 63 cm.

Ex-Collection Michel Gaud

Ref.: Himmelheber 1960, pp. 170-178; Fischer & Himmelheber 1984, pp. 117-121

Female figure, lu medan, liberia, ivory coast

Statues such as these which, in general, depict females form a separatecategory in sub-Saharan Africa. Sculptures are usually carved for a ritualpurpose. However, the Dan carve them as objects of prestige. If he canafford it, a man commissions a skilled sculptor to carve a portrait of hiswife. With that, he earns respect. It is also possible that the sculptorspontaneously carves a statue in order to demonstrate his skill. It is unclear whether this statue represents a real person, or a femalefigure idealized by the artist. As a rule, however, these statues areassignments. Based on certain sculptural conventions, the artist addspersonal facial features and bodily decorations. That is the case here,see the scars around the torso and the bracelets. The original wig andloin-cloth complete this statue. According to Fischer (personal information d.d. October 17, 1992), thisstatue is made by the Kran sculptor Sra (1870/1880-1950). Sra (God,creator) carved his first statues aged thirteen. In addition to being agifted sculptor, he was a blacksmith and metalworker. Within a fewdecades, he became one of the most prominent artists of his time andhas trained many young sculptors.

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Wood, glossy black patina, monkey hair (Colobus);

heigth 33 cm.

Gégon masksdan, liberia, ivory coast

Gégon is one of many masquerades held nowadays to entertain. With jokes and jest, the spectators arekept awake during the long rituals. Gégon means‘male masquerade’ and thereby presents us with nodecisive answer concerning the mask’s original func-tion and meaning. With its beak and monkey hair, themask has a double connection with nature. The maskmay have been borrowed from neighbouring tribesand is only to be found in the northern Dan region.

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Wood, cloth, monkey hair (Colobus), glossy black patina;

heigth 24.5 cm.

Ref.: Fischer & Himmelheber 1984, pp. 81-87

Gégon masksdan, liberia, ivory coast

Gégon is one of many masquerades held nowadays to entertain. With jokes and jest, the spectators arekept awake during the long rituals. Gégon means‘male masquerade’ and thereby presents us with nodecisive answer concerning the mask’s original func-tion and meaning. With its beak and monkey hair, themask has a double connection with nature. The maskmay have been borrowed from neighbouring tribesand is only to be found in the northern Dan region.

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Wood, cotton, fibre, crusty brown to black patina; heigth 67 cm.

Ex-Collection Freddy Rolin

Publ.: Bacquart 2002, p. 37, ill. 11

Mask mau, ivory coast

Like their neighbours the Dan, the Mau use masksin which human and animal characteristics arecombined. The combination of horns and beakindicates the wilderness. The connection with theDan is clearly visible in the representation of the face.The thick, encrusted patina points to an intensive andprotracted ritual use, probably in a men’s society.


Wood, iron, plant fibre, horn, pigment, encrusted beige-brown patina;

length 90 cm x width 37 cm

Ref.: Vogel 1997, pp. 205-214

Mask, bo nun amuinbaule, ivory coast

The male masquerade masks feared most are the bo amuin nun,meaning ‘gods of the forest’. They are large, zoomorphic masks thatsymbolize the forest without depicting a specific animal. Along with all the dance paraphernalia, they are kept at a sacred place in the forest.The uninitiated women and children are strictly forbidden to lay theireyes on the masks, let alone to participate in the male masquerades.Naked dancers perform wearing only a costume consisting of raffia.

This is another reference to the forest. The dancers partake in burials of deceased dancers, in ceremonies to protect the village againstthreats and in occasions to discipline females. Women have their own masquerades. Dissimilar from the males, thesemasks and paraphernalia are kept in the village. The contradiction be -tween nature and culture and the analogue contradictions: forest – village,female – male, death – and life, threat – security are reflected herein.


Wood, fibre, glass, partly medium glossy black patina;

heigth 23.5 cm.

Publ.: Heinemans 1986, p. 89 fig 165

Ex-Collection Harrie Heinemans

Ref.: Fischer 2008, pp. 467-471

Female figure, mi iri naguro, ivory coast

This small, standing female figure has a trapezoidaltorso and legs. The arms are carved along the bodyand the head is disproportionately large, measuringabout one third of the total length. In general, the Guro refer to anthropomorphicfigures as mi iri na, ‘small wooden person’. Thesefigures are neither portraits, nor individuals from the other world or ancestors. They are associatedwith the Zu cult. As a rule, these figures play a role on the Zu altar, which is dedicated to spirits who are commissioned by the Supreme to assist humanbeings in achieving their personal goals. According to Fischer, these statues may have fulfilled a role asaccessories to the altar in a small region inhabited by the Guro. In recent times, mainly the traditionalhealers of the neighbouring Mwa instigated theplacing of anthropomorphic figures on the altar.

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Wood, medium glossy brownish black patina, heigth 24.5 cm.

Publ.: Vogelzang 1996, ill. 3; Exhibition ‘Van katrol tot kunstwerk’, March 17-June 3, 1996

Volkenkundig Museum ‘Gerardus van der Leeuw’

Ref. Fischer 2008, pp. 475-481

Heddle pulley, konoguro, ivory coast

Guro heddle pulleys are among the finest specimens produced in IvoryCoast. The elegance of these miniature sculptures are best expressedwhen we look at the pulley en profil. The head is presented in a flowingline of alternating convex and concave surfaces. In a more schematicshape, this line repeats itself in the rendition of the headdress. The longneck is accentuated by means of a row of small carved stripes andstands at a subtle angle to the bracket, which serves as a shoulder.

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Tribal Treasures in Dutch Private Collections