Power Figure (Nkisi N'Kondi: Mangaaka)

19th century, inventoried 1909

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

This Mangaaka figure, obtained by Visser in the Loango region before 1904, is one of three that he procured for the Leipzig Museum. Another example may have been destroyed during World War II and a third was deaccessioned and later acquired by the Detroit Institute of Arts. This example remains engulfed in the extensive empowering additions contributed by a ritual specialist. These take the form of a beard that extends around the perimeter of the jaw composed of plant matter and the ritual garment around the lower body, or makolo, composed of bundles of woven and tied fibers.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

Title: Power Figure (Nkisi N'Kondi: Mangaaka)
Date: 19th century, inventoried 1909
Geography: Cabinda, Angola, Chiloango River region
Culture: Kongo peoples; Yombe group
Medium: Wood, iron, resin, cowrie shell, ceramic, plant fiber, textile, pigment
Dimensions: H. 43 1/4 in. (110 cm), W. 17 3/8 in. (44 cm), D. 16 1/2 in. (42 cm)
Classification: Wood-Sculpture
Credit Line: GRASSI Museum für Völkerkunde zu Leipzig, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing