Female power figure "nkisi"

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Description

wood, decorative nails, fabric, animal hair, crack spread with mass, base

This figure has a beautiful rich patina, slightly sticky in places.

The magical figures of the Songe are predominantly male, often hermaphroditic, rarely female.

The somewhat tired facial expression of narrow little eyes, as well as the emaciated body with angular shoulders and sagging breasts has something touchingly human about it, reminiscent of the depiction of an old woman. The classic body schema of the Songe figures seems slightly modified, showing certain naturalistic tendencies.

The cloth-covered opening in the head, the depressions in the ears and mouth, as well as the nails on the face testify to the figure’s great magical significance.

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Comparing literature

Neyt, François, The Formidable Statuary of Central Africa, Munich, Berlin, London, New York, 2009, p. 55 f.

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