Artwork Page for Power figure (nkisi)

Details / Information for Power figure (nkisi)

Power figure (nkisi)

late 1800s-early 1900s

Africa, Central Africa, Republic of the Congo, Kongo-style maker

Medium
Wood, organic materials (including resin), and metalized glass
Measurements
Overall: 17 x 7 x 6.5 cm (6 11/16 x 2 3/4 x 2 9/16 in.)
Weight: 15 kg (33.07 lbs.)
Credit Line
René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 2010.437
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

The nduda minkisi were loaded with gunpowder and/or medicine to protect their owners and to shoot “witches” and other enemies.

Description

One of seven anthropomorphic figurines, these minkisi contained medicines in which an ancestral spirit was believed to reside. The medicines served a metaphorical rather than literal purpose in the resolution of conflicts among Kongo people. This figure contained white- and red-colored medicine loads on its belly and back. Its pose may refer to the nkisi’s capacity to see more than others.
A wood and resin sculpture depicts a dark, weathered human bust. Reflective oval glass eyes, a wide nose, and a small, slightly open mouth define the head. Thick cylindrical shoulders are coated in a textured, light-gray material, split by a deep vertical crack. This torso is supported by a single central post on a rectangular wooden base. The aged surface reveals dark wood beneath the crumbling, pale resin coating.

Power figure (nkisi)

late 1800s-early 1900s

Africa, Central Africa, Republic of the Congo, Kongo-style maker

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