African Arts Gallery

Bronze Kongo statuette (N° 17531)

This small anthropomorphic sculpture, of kisi type, takes in miniature the canons of the Kongo statuary, and in particular the funerary statues inyongo or mintadi of lower Zaire, which were made of stone. These figures form the vital embodiment of a spirit or ancestor. Comes with plexi base.
The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo formed the group Kôngo , led by King ntotela. Their kingdom reached its peak in the 16th century with the ivory, copper and slave trade. Similarly, beliefs and traditions, they produced a statuary with a codified gesture in relation to their worldview. The sorcerers nganga, both healers, were in charge of religious activities and mediation towards the God called Nzambi by the help of consecrated figures. To this end, protective individual figures nkisis, to protect themselves from witchcraft and various plagues, are manufactured and charged by nganga from all the necessary ingredients to achieve this goal.