Museums - Université de Liège - Galerie Wittert

Between 1891 and 1920, Dr. Charles Firket, professor of pathological anatomy and colonial medicine at the Université de Liège, built up a collection of African objects that he left to the university in 1929. Firket’s motives were humanistic and pedagogical, and his intent was to introduce African ethnology to future participants in the colonial expansion. The 300 or so objects he assembled through his contacts with colonials are mostly from the former Belgian Congo. He created a catalogue of the objects in his collection in 1920, in which he describes the provenance of each piece in great detail.
This ethnographic collection is made up primarily of weapons (136) and wickerwork items, but it also includes sculptural artworks, the most noteworthy of which are a rare anthropomorphic Kuba ceremonial adze, a Fang mask, and a head-shaped Kuba cup. Inventory work currently in progress has led to the rediscovery of several forgotten Oceanic works in the reserves.