Magical figure "mvunzi" · D. R. Congo, Holo · ID: 3034138
Wolfgang Nerlich, Munich, Germany
Description
wood, reddish brown patina, traces of black paint, cape of bead-netting, cavities in breast, ears, head and on the underside (“crypto-fetish”) for insertion of magical substances, slightly dam., on metal plate;
“mvunzi” figures should protect humans against certain evil spirits. The main fortuneteller usually possesses such “mvunzi” who employs them in cases of sickness, for theft or for the hunt. In many cases, for example with theft, a “mvunzi” possesses not only a protective function, but also an offensive character by acting against the evil spirit by imposing on it an even greater evil.
The object Magical figure “mvunzi” with the object ID 3034138 was last part of the auction 72nd tribal art auction at March 9, 2013 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 130 achieved a sales price of EUR 600.
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Publications
Neyt, Francois, Die Kunst der Holo, München 1982, p. 69, Fig. 28