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Female Figure
late 1800s-early 1900s
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
Mankishi figures were believed to have magical powers and were used by diviners to contact spirits in otherworldly realms. Smaller, personal power figures were used to connect with “common” ancestors, while the larger Mankishi figures contacted higher-ranking ancestral spirits. These power figures were kept in their own personal spaces because of their powerful status, and could only be handled by their designated <em>nkunja</em>, or guardian.
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Details
- Title: Female Figure
- Date Created: late 1800s-early 1900s
- Physical Dimensions: Overall: 34.8 x 6.2 x 14.5 cm (13 11/16 x 2 7/16 x 5 11/16 in.)
- Provenance: (Jean Dierickx, Brussels, BE, 1960, sold to René and Odette Delenne), René [1901-1998] and Odette Delenne [1925-2012], Brussels, BE, 2010, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, 2010
- Type: Sculpture
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/2010.452
- Medium: Wood, upholstery studs, antelope horns, and animal hair
- Fun Fact: Because this Mankishi is neither small or quite large in size, it was most likely used by a family rather than an individual.
- Department: African Art
- Culture: Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Songye people
- Credit Line: René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
- Collection: African Art
- Accession Number: 2010.452
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