Male Figure (Nkisi)
1880–1920
- Medium
- Wood, organic material (including resin), metalized glass, and cloth
- Dimensions
- Overall: 17 x 5.3 x 7 cm (6 11/16 x 2 1/16 x 2 3/4 in.)
- Genre
- sculpture
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art
Styles
Tags
Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo (most likely), Cabinda, or Republic of the Congo, probably Yombe-style maker
About
Nkisi is often associated with the word spirit, as these figures are believed to host a variety ancestral spirits. With an intact mirror-covered stomach cavity, this figure was not decommissioned before sale or disposal, deeming its particular powers sustained. The cloth knots and carvings suggest that it was used to bind agreements or oaths, and to reconcile social and cosmological contradictions.