Mask - Congo (No reserve price)
05
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14
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Wooden nkisi nkondi from the Congo, associated with the Kongo people, 60 cm high and 24 cm wide, in good condition with minor age-related wear.
AI-assisted summary
Description from the seller
They are also called by the Kongos "kozo", which means "cry of terror".
The minkisi statues (wooden) are the material vessel of the ancestors’ spirits and the means of calling them from the beyond for medical-therapeutic purposes and to bring solutions to certain societal problems. They are the images of the ancestors, their protective spirits, and the mediators between the two worlds, the visible and the invisible.
Extracting the minkisi from their original milieu, from the family environment in which they were created, disables them and renders them completely powerless.
When the nkisi is a human representation, the eyes of the figure are wide open, almond-shaped, painted white with a black iris at the center, but they are sometimes composed of glass plates, shiny mica, metal plates, or shells. The gaze of the eyes is directed toward the viewer who stands facing the statue.
The mouth is open and sometimes showing the front teeth.
Some minkisi statues (the plural of nkisi) are configured with the right hand raised and, from time to time, holding a weapon.
Nails, screws, or metal blades are inserted into the various parts of the statue. Each of the metal objects implanted in the statue is a physical signature and a concretization of a pact. The wood is a living material; the impact produced by the metal insertion animates and awakens the spirit inhabiting the statue to be the witness of the contractual act.
The minkisi are covered with a red patina; this color is an indicator of the mediating power of the statue.
The 'nganga' = ritual specialist is the sculptor and divine priest; he is the only one authorized to activate the nkisi and make it effective. The nganga must complete his action by inserting a 'bilongo' = a medicine made of magical packets and one or more reliquaries into an abdominal, frontal, or dorsal cavity of the nkisi nkondi. Then, this cavity is sealed with a piece of mirror when located on the belly, or with cowries (shells) if the cavity is elsewhere. The bilongo is inhabited by the spirit of an ancestor, a deceased person, or a victim of witchcraft.
They are also called by the Kongos "kozo", which means "cry of terror".
The minkisi statues (wooden) are the material vessel of the ancestors’ spirits and the means of calling them from the beyond for medical-therapeutic purposes and to bring solutions to certain societal problems. They are the images of the ancestors, their protective spirits, and the mediators between the two worlds, the visible and the invisible.
Extracting the minkisi from their original milieu, from the family environment in which they were created, disables them and renders them completely powerless.
When the nkisi is a human representation, the eyes of the figure are wide open, almond-shaped, painted white with a black iris at the center, but they are sometimes composed of glass plates, shiny mica, metal plates, or shells. The gaze of the eyes is directed toward the viewer who stands facing the statue.
The mouth is open and sometimes showing the front teeth.
Some minkisi statues (the plural of nkisi) are configured with the right hand raised and, from time to time, holding a weapon.
Nails, screws, or metal blades are inserted into the various parts of the statue. Each of the metal objects implanted in the statue is a physical signature and a concretization of a pact. The wood is a living material; the impact produced by the metal insertion animates and awakens the spirit inhabiting the statue to be the witness of the contractual act.
The minkisi are covered with a red patina; this color is an indicator of the mediating power of the statue.
The 'nganga' = ritual specialist is the sculptor and divine priest; he is the only one authorized to activate the nkisi and make it effective. The nganga must complete his action by inserting a 'bilongo' = a medicine made of magical packets and one or more reliquaries into an abdominal, frontal, or dorsal cavity of the nkisi nkondi. Then, this cavity is sealed with a piece of mirror when located on the belly, or with cowries (shells) if the cavity is elsewhere. The bilongo is inhabited by the spirit of an ancestor, a deceased person, or a victim of witchcraft.
Details
Era
After 2000
No. of items
1
Material
Wood
Country of Origin
Congo
Condition
Good condition - used with small signs of aging & blemishes
Height
60 cm
Width
24 cm
