Small power figure "nkisi" · D. R. Congo, Songye · ID: 3041769

Name: Small power figure "nkisi"
SKU: 3041769
Price: 5500 EUR
Availability: SoldOut

sold EUR 5,500

Provenance

Maria Wyss, Basel, Switzerland
Walter Schmidt, Würzburg/Innsbruck, Germany/Austria (1966)

Size

H: 22 cm

H: 8.7 inch

Description

wood, dark brown patina, oiled, sticky in some places, typical in facial shape and features, as well as posture, six brass tags across the forehead, cavity in the head filled with mass/wooden sticks/quills, the cavity at the stomach is empty, the magical loading “bijimba” had been removed, slightly dam., cracks (left side of head and body), missing parts (back half of the base), plate;
such small “personal minkisi” are personal belongings of an individual or at the most a family and served for fulfillment of personal concerns. Magical ingredients “bijimba” were added to the image by a ritualist “nganga”. The majority of personal “mankisi” were discarded soon after their production, for once the desired effect was attained, the empowering substances lost their efficacy.

The object Small power figure “nkisi” with the object ID 3041769 was part of the auction 86th Tribal Art Auction on May 27, 2017. The object with the lot number 65 achieved a sales price of EUR 5,500 with an asking price of EUR 4,000.

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