Artwork Page for Power figure (nkisi)

Details / Information for Power figure (nkisi)

Power figure (nkisi)

late 1800s-early 1900s

Central Africa, Republic of the Congo, Kongo people

Medium
Wood, organic materials (including resin), iron, reed, tooth, seashell or glass beads, and possibly plastic
Measurements
Overall: 12 x 4 x 4 cm (4 3/4 x 1 9/16 x 1 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 2010.442
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

This small figure belonged to “the sorcerer of Loango,” chief of all sorcerers of that region (a province and port in West Central Africa).

Description

One of seven anthropomorphic figurines, these minkisi contained medicines in which an ancestral spirit was believed to reside. Minkisi were objects of communal use; if conflict arose between two citizens, the Nkisi figure, along with the nganga (ritual leader) helped resolve the dispute. This small figure belonged to “the sorcerer of Loango,” chief of all sorcerers of that region (a province and port in West Central Africa).
A resin and wood sculpture features a polished dark face with eyes carved as downcast slits. Atop the head sits a tall, rounded cap detailed with vertical reddish-brown bands, a small spike, and two white circular beads. A thick black cord wraps around the neck above a body shaped like a large, textured dark sphere. The base is tightly wrapped in a bundle of reeds.

Power figure (nkisi)

late 1800s-early 1900s

Central Africa, Republic of the Congo, Kongo people

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