Power figure (nkisi)

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.

Provenance

(Unidentified art dealer, Nice, FR, 1961, sold to René and Odette Delenne) (?-1961); René [1901-1998] and Odette Delenne [1925-2012], Brussels, BE, 2010, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art. (1961-2010); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, 2010 (2010)

Power figure (nkisi)

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late 1800s-early 1900s

Accession Number

2010.437

Medium

Wood, organic materials (including resin), and metalized glass

Dimensions

Overall: 17 x 7 x 6.5 cm (6 11/16 x 2 3/4 x 2 9/16 in.)

Classification

Sculpture

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund