Maternity figure — Grassfields
Carved wood, Grassfields, 19th century
Expertise practice · Central African ritual art
Authenticate, appraise, pass on.
Edith Mbella — expert, collector and exhibition curator — brings more than twenty-five years of fieldwork, galleries and apprenticeship to your object, from its reading to its history.
- Independence
- Confidentiality
- Provenance ethics
- Respect for source cultures
- Transmission
Our promise
Give objects back their history, and owners their certainty.
An independent, rigorous practice, rooted in Africa and open to the world. Fieldwork in Africa, experience of the European market — Paris, Brussels, Barcelona, Madrid — and a taste for teaching come together here.
Every opinion is reasoned and every reservation is stated. We never promise a “guaranteed” certificate: we establish what the examination allows us to affirm, and we show how.
The practice
Milestones
One journey, several places.
1998Founding of the Oba African Art Gallery, Barcelona
4Cities of practice: Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Douala
3Structures founded: Oba, Edith Mbella Gallery, Espace Bolo
600+Objects examined over the years of practice
Fields of expertise
Areas designed for collectors, heirs and institutions.
11
Central African ritual art
The core of the practice: objects of worship, power and transmission, read in their context.
12Statuary and masks
Bangwa, Fang, Kota, Teke, Songye, Luba… a reading of styles, hands and uses.
13Cameroon and the Grassfields
The arts of the kingdoms of western Cameroon, which the founder practises from Douala.
15Contemporary African art
Painting, photography, plastic arts: the eye of the field, from studio to gallery.
16Design and decorative arts
Objects and furniture from Africa, between craft and contemporary creation.
19Diaspora and private collections
Family holdings, inheritances, collections assembled from a distance: putting them back in perspective.
Method
Five stages, from first look to report.
A constant approach that you can follow and check.
First conversation
We listen to your aims and receive first photographs and known information. Confidentiality applies from this stage.
Visual and material examination
Form, volume, materials, tool marks, structure: the object is observed up close, under several lights.
Patina, use, comparison
Reading wear and deposits, then comparing with reference corpora and documented pieces.
Documentation and provenance
Researching the object’s history, the collections it passed through, publications and archives.
Reasoned report
A written, argued and illustrated opinion, with its reservations: what is established, what remains probable, what is uncertain.
Radiocarbon dating
C14 dating, led by François Ngouoh.
An archaeologist and expert in Central African ritual art, François Ngouoh is head of C14 dating at the practice. He chooses the samples, follows the laboratory and reads the results together with the examination of the object.
A dating result informs the opinion of authenticity without replacing it: it is always discussed with patina, use and provenance.
Career
From the Left Bank to the banks of the Wouri.
As a teenager, Edith Mbella discovered the galleries of Paris’s Left Bank and the Marché aux Puces. At eighteen she acquired a Bangwa maternity figure, the first piece of her personal collection. Introduced to ritual art by the dealer René Garcia and then advised by Marc Léo Felix, she founded the Oba African Art Gallery in Barcelona in 1998, ran the Edith Mbella Gallery in Madrid, then created Espace Bolo in Douala.
Read the career timelineOba African Art Gallery
Barcelona. Thematic exhibitions and lectures for national and international bodies.
Edith Mbella Gallery
Madrid. Tribal art, design, contemporary African art.
Espace Bolo
Douala. A laboratory supporting young artists and a made-in-Africa art and design project.
Collections
Appraised works
A selection of works examined, shown with the owners’ consent.
Mask — Central Africa
Polychrome wood, Gabon, early 20th century
Ceremonial object
Wood, beads and cloth, Cameroon, 20th century
Team
Complementary expertise.
Edith Ursule Mbella
Founder · expert in Central African ritual art
François Ngouoh
Archaeologist and expert in Central African ritual art · head of C14 dating
Democratising art, shedding its elitist image, valuing authenticity and transmission.Edith Mbella’s conviction · from an interview
Recognition
Several international galleries and collections have objects’ authenticity attested by her; the Hamill Gallery cites her as an external expert.
Press and referencesNews
From the practice
JOURNAL
How should you approach the provenance of an inherited object? In the journal, a practical article every month.
EXHIBITIONProgramme of Espace Bolo, Douala. Regular appointments, Tuesday to Saturday.
PRESSInterviews and portraits of the founder. Profiles and interviews published in the online press.
What does an “opinion of authenticity” mean?
It is an expert’s written, reasoned opinion, based on examining the object, comparing it with documented corpora and researching its provenance. It commits the practice’s expertise; it is not an absolute guarantee, since authenticity always rests on a body of evidence.
Can I submit my object remotely?
Yes, for a first reading: detailed photographs, dimensions and any known history. A direct examination remains recommended for any formal opinion, in Douala, in Spain or during an agreed visit. Appointments take place in Douala, in Spain or by video call.
Do you assess objects of uncertain provenance?
Yes, and this is often where expertise is most useful. Provenance is examined with care, and the practice reminds clients of the legal obligations that apply to cultural property.
How are fees set?
Fees are quoted before any work begins and never depend on the estimated value or on a sale. The detailed schedule is on the Fees page. The indicative scale is on the Fees page.
Is my information kept confidential?
Yes. Files, photographs and owners’ identities are handled in confidence, in line with the GDPR.
Your object
Entrust us with its story.
Describe your piece and attach a few photographs. You will receive a confidential first reply on how to proceed.