African Arts Gallery

Ex-collection French African art.
The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo constituted the Kôngo group, headed by the king ntotela. Their kingdom reached its peak in the 16th century with the trade in ivory, copper and the slave trade. With the same beliefs and traditions, they produce a statuary with a codified gesture in relation to their worldview.
Among the Kongo, the Nganga performed rituals by activating a spiritual force with a nkondi (pl. nkissi). The term nkisi was then used to refer to the notions of "sacred" or "divine". The most influential category of the "minkisi Kongo" consisted of instruments to help regional chiefs enforce the law. A metal object was nailed to a wooden figure as soon as a decision was made, each nail evoking a particular case: litigants, divorce, conflicts between communities...
This male figure is depicted with braided mitre-shaped hair that was in use in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among the Mayombe men and women ( "Treasures of Africa", Tervuren Museum ) Dressed in a European jacket, the character would hold a bottle of gin. The hollowed out container could collect a magical charge with propitiatory or therapeutic aim. Matte powder patina, chipped. Minimal cracks.