Detail View: ADJUNCT MODULE D: WORLD ART: Power Figure (nkisi nkondi) from Angola
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Collection:
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ADJUNCT MODULE D: WORLD ART
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Preferred Title:
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Power Figure (nkisi nkondi) from Angola
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Image View:
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Detail, iron nails driven into figure to move the spirit to action
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Creator:
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unknown (Kongo sculptor)
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Location:
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exhibition: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Montréal, Québec, Canada)
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Location Note:
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From Africa to the Americas: Face-to-Face Picasso, Past and Present (2018 exhibition)
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Date:
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ca. 1860 (creation)
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Cultural Context:
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Central African; Kongo
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Style Period:
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Kongo
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Work Type 1:
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sculpture (visual work)
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Classification:
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Sculpture and Installations
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Material:
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wood; iron nails; glass
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Technique:
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carving (processes); construction (assembling)
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Subjects:
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deities; spirits
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Description:
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Nkondi are mystical idols made by the Kongo people of the Congo region. Nkondi are a subclass of nkisi (or minkisi) that are considered aggressive. The name nkondi derives from the verb konda, meaning "to hunt" and thus nkondi means "hunter" because they can hunt down and attack wrong-doers, witches, or enemies. Because they are aggressive, many nkondi are carved as human figures with their hands raised, sometimes bearing weapons. According to Kongo testimony of the early twentieth century, people drive nails into the figures as part of a petition for help, healing, or witness, particularly of contracts and pledges. The purpose of the nailing is to "awaken" and sometimes to "enrage" the nkisi to the task in hand. The figures usually have a compartment to store a bilongo, a packet of materials translated as "medicine." (Source: Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page)
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Collection:
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Archivision Adjunct Module D: World Art
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Identifier:
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7A3-AFRICAN-FAFFM-NF-A05
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Rights:
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© Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc.
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