Female power figure "nkisi"/ "nkishi" (pl. "mankisi" / "'mankishi") · D. R. Congo, Songye · ID: 3052128
Starting price
EUR 3,000
Estimated price
EUR 5,000
Provenance
Baillieus (1986)Werner & Lotte Krause, Hamburg, Germany (1986)
Size
H: 82,5 cm
H: 32.5 inch
Description
wood, pigments, copper sheet, horn, handwritten collection no. “89”
The magical figures of the Songye are predominantly male, often hermaphroditic, rarely female.
The choice of a female shape and the emphasis on sexual characteristics suggest that it was created primarily for the purpose of promoting the fertility of both people and the land.
Comparing literature
Neyt, François, Songye, Brussels 2004, p. 208, ill. 174
Publications
AHDRC: 0040552