A Nkutsu or Jonga Metal Gong

Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, 20th Century

Height 20 1/4 inches (51.44 cm).

Property from the Estate of Shirley Hughes, Barrington, Illinois.

Gongs like this present example hold significance beyond their culture, being utilized in various African societies as currency. Skilled Nkutsu and Jonga blacksmiths crafted these metal objects and symbolized brotherhood, struck with rubber-tipped sticks to set music rhythm, ritual cadence, and religious ceremonies. Only specific members could play them. Gongs like this one are vanishing from Africa as metal smelters collect and melt them.

Height with stand 23 inches (58.42 cm).

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Mr. Coley joined the Antiquities department in 2021 after working as Managing Director in the Ancient Art department at Colnaghi, the world’s oldest commercial art gallery, where he helped to establish the Ancient Art department and launched Colnaghi New York in 2017. Prior to Colnaghi, Mr. Coley was in the Greek and Roman Art department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Mr. Coley holds a B.A. from the University of Miami and an M.A. in Art Market from the Fashion Institute of Technology, and he earned an art-appraisal certificate from New York University.

Antiquities, Pre-Columbian and Ethnographic Art

A Nkutsu or Jonga Metal Gong

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