The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
Power figure (nkisi)
late 1800s-early 1900s
Overall: 11.5 x 4.5 x 4 cm (4 1/2 x 1 3/4 x 1 9/16 in.)
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
Different from other Minkisi who hold their power in their abdomen, this figure sits atop a sphere in which the active substances still reside.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 asymmetrical figure wears a mpu headdress of chiefs with its characteristic geometric decoration. The pose may refer to a state of mourning.- ?-1961(Unidentified art dealer, Nice, FR, 1961, sold to René and Odette Delenne)1961-2010René [1901-1998] and Odette Delenne [1925-2012], Brussels, BE, 2010, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art2010The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, 2010
- Petridis, Constantine, et al. Fragments of the Invisible: The René and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art. Milan: 5 Continents Editions, 2013, 54-58. Mentioned: pp. 54, 56, 113; reproduced: 58-59, cat. 17
- Fragments of the Invisible: The Rene and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 27, 2013-February 9, 2014).
- {{cite web|title=Power figure (nkisi)|url=false|author=|year=late 1800s-early 1900s|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2010.443