Large male power figure "nkisi" · D. R. Congo, Songye, Lomami Basin and Province · ID: 3053558
G.M.J. “Boy” Lommen, Venlo / Maastricht, The Netherlands
Arno Henseler, Munich, Germany
Description
wood, pigments, resin/wax, metal, copper alloy, cord, handwritten collection number “HC 528” at the back
Acting as intercessors between ancestral spirits and the living, such larger “minkisi” were intended to benefit the entire community.
The creation of a “nkisi” was a public event that brought together the community, a skilled carver and an experienced “nganga”. Chiefs and elders commissioned the “nkisi” and the community was responsible for cutting the tree selected for the carving.
The carver decided on the “nkisi’s” features and type of wood to be used, often selected for its curative or toxic properties or for being associated with certain ancestral contexts.
The “nganga” assembled the “bishimba”, powerful matter made of animal, plant, and mineral substances. The addition of this sacred matter allowed the “nkisi” to become a conduit for spiritual forces.
Publications
Morigi, Paolo, Meisterwerke Altafrikanischer Kultur aus der Sammlung Casa Coray, Agnuzzo-Lugano 1968, ill. 95; Museum zu Allerheiligen (ed.), 217 Werke aus der Sammlung Han Coray, Schaffhausen 1970, ill. 104; Winizki, Ernst, Gesichter Afrikas, Luzern 1972, p. 138 f.; Antique Maestricht, International Antique Dealer's Fair, Lommen 1981, p. 69
AHDRC: 0040234
Exhibition
Schaffhausen, Switzerland, 217 Werke aus der Sammlung Han Coray, Museum zu Allerheiligen, 26 April - 2 August 1970; Maastricht, The Netherlands, Antique Maestricht, International Antique Dealer's Fair, Eurohal, 6 March 1981 - 15 March 1981