Antique wooden crucifix - Bakongo - DR Congo

Ancient wooden crucifix – Bakongo – Democratic Republic of the Congo

A profoundly moving testimony of the dialogue between Christian spirituality and Kongo cosmology.

This ancient Bakongo crucifix, carved in dense wood with a deep, satin patina, belongs to the emblematic corpus of ancient African Christian art from the Kingdom of Kongo. By the end of the 15th century, the Bakongo integrated the figure of Christ into their own worldview, giving rise to works of exceptional symbolic power, far removed from mere European imitation.

Christ is here depicted frontally, his body contracted, arms stretched horizontally, face closed and meditative. The stylization of the torso, the position of the legs, and the graphical treatment of the volumes recall the codes of Kongo statuary, where the body is above all a vector of spiritual power. The small sculpted figure at the top of the cross, interpreted as an auxiliary spirit, an ancestor, or a protective figure, reinforces the ritual reading of the object.

These crucifixes, often described as Nkangi Kiditu, were used as objects of domestic devotion, prayer supports, but also as instruments of spiritual mediation, blending Christianity with local beliefs related to the world of ancestors and the circulation of life forces (nkisi). The old, authentic, unmutilated specimens are now sought after and increasingly rare, particularly those that retain such formal legibility and a coherent ancient patina.

By its quality as a sculpture, its formal balance, and its evident antiquity, this crucifix fits squarely within the major documented corpora of Kongo Christian art, held in leading museum and private collections.

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