Power figure (nkisi)
1880–1920
- 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.)
- Genre
- Sculpture
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art
Styles
Tags
Africa, Central Africa, Republic of the Congo, Kongo-style maker
About
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.