Power Figure (Nkisi N'Kondi: Mangaaka)
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.The sculptors presented with the challenge of creating a Mangaaka power figure gave visual definition to an unbounded immaterial force that they depicted as a defender of the community in human terms. The massive torso acted as a shield. The extent of the negative space between the arms and the body varies considerably. The upper arms feature depictions of tied raffia cord bands known as nsunga that protect a ritual expert from witchcraft. The figure wears an anklet denoting allegiance to a powerful association known as Lemba that promoted health and trade. At the base, the sides of the blocks are adorned with incised designs, some of which feature the flower or cross motif that is a Lemba cosmogram.
Artwork Details
- Title: Power Figure (Nkisi N'Kondi: Mangaaka)
- Date: 19th century, inventoried 1935
- Geography: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chiloango River region; Republic of the Congo; Cabinda, Angola
- Culture: Kongo peoples; Yombe group
- Medium: Wood, iron, resin, ceramic, plant fiber, pigment
- Dimensions: H. 43 1/4 in. (110 cm), W. 19 3/4 in. (50 cm), D. 12 5/8 in. (32 cm)
- Classification: Wood-Sculpture
- Credit Line: Musée du Quai Branly, Paris (73.1963.0.175)
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing