Antiquities, Pre-Columbian and Ethnographic Art

Wood embellished with animal hide, bones, metal, plant fibers, and pigment.

Provenance:

Emmanuel Waha, African art dealer, acquired in Cameroon, Africa, in 1984.

David Rilling, M.D. Collection, Pennsylvania.

Alex Wieschenberg (owner of Art of Eden Gallery), Lambertville, New Jersey.

Millea Bros, Boonton, New Jersey, Arts of Africa, Day 3, 20 May 2022, Lot 3171.

Private Collection, Batavia, Illinois.

This Nkisi Nkondi figure from the Yombe group of the Democratic Republic of the Congo presents an aggressive posture and dynamic expression. It was meticulously carved from wood and embellished with animal hide, bones, metal, plant fibers, and pigment. The large figure features various elements that indicate ritual use, including applied materials that charge it with spiritual significance. The Nganga (shaman) activates the figure by filling its belly with potent materials, allowing it to serve as a conduit for protective and healing energies.

Historically, Nkisi figures have held immense cultural significance within Kongo society, functioning as powerful spiritual agents mediating conflicts and safeguarding the community. During his 19th-century expedition, Henry Morton Stanley documented the use of Nkisi figures, noting their role in embodying the spirits that the Congolese believed could provide protection and enforce social order.

For more on Stanley and his expedition, see H.M. Stanley, The Congo and the Founding of its Free State; a Story of Work and Exploration, 1885.