Description
This figure had lost its nkisi load on the belly, but now shows how the mixture of earth, resin, leaves, glass, and other items was fixed onto the wooden figure, supported by four nails. It had been the property of “the sorcerer of Mboukou.”
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, 2010 (2010)
Accession Number
2010.440
Medium
Wood, feathers, organic material (including resin), iron, and possibly porcelain
Dimensions
Overall: 29.5 x 12 x 16 cm (11 5/8 x 4 3/4 x 6 5/16 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Credit Line
René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund