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Male Figure (Nkisi)
late 1800s-early 1900s
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
<em>Nkisi</em> is an object that is believed to host an ancestral spirit. Unusual among these figures, this nkisi figure is missing its <em>nduda,</em> “night guns.” These guns would be filled with gunpowder functioning as defense against witches or misfortune. Unless its guns were lost during the course of its life history, this nkisi may instead be an example of a more general type called <em>mpanzu,</em> whose functions included protection.
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Details
- Title: Male Figure (Nkisi)
- Date Created: late 1800s-early 1900s
- Physical Dimensions: Overall: 42 x 11.8 x 23 cm (16 9/16 x 4 5/8 x 9 1/16 in.)
- Provenance: Jef Vanderstraete, Lasne, Belgium, sold to René and Odette Delenne., René [1901-1998] and Odette Delenne [1925-2012], Brussels, Belgium, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Type: Sculpture
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/2010.433
- Medium: Wood, cloth, resin, organic material, feathers, natural fibers, antelope horn, seashells (including cowrie shells), glass beads, metalized glass, and plant fiber
- Fun Fact: Different from other figures functioning as defense against witches or misfortune, its “night guns,” or <em>nduda</em>, are missing.
- Department: African Art
- Culture: Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cabinda, or Republic of the Congo, probably Vili-style maker
- Credit Line: René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
- Collection: African Art
- Accession Number: 2010.433
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