BAKONGO POWER COLLECTION - Nkisi power figure - Bakongo - DR Congo

Exceptional collection of nkisi (minkisi) figures - BAKONGO POWER

This collection brings together a remarkable corpus of figures inspired by the Kongo tradition (Bakongo).

The coherence of the set, the diversity of silhouettes, and the richness of the sculptural treatments make it a particularly evocative presentation of the ritual arts of the Kongo cultural area.

The figures are distinguished by their expressive faces, abdominal cavities, ties, plant fibers, textiles, feathers, and other attached elements. These features recall the plastic vocabulary of the minkisi (singular: nkisi), sculptures intended to embody a spiritual force or a specific function within Kongo societies. The term nkisi also transcends the Western notion of “fetish.” (Smithsonian National Museum of African Art)

In Kongo tradition, the sculptor shaped the figure before the nganga (ritual specialist) inserted bilongo, substances placed in cavities of the body to focus power linked notably to protection, healing, mediation, or maintaining social order. (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

This collection offers a particularly seductive panorama of one of the major sculptural repertoires of Central Africa.

Each statuette will be offered individually at auction, marking its first public sale presentation, thus giving collectors the opportunity to acquire a work within a remarkably coherent aesthetic and iconographic set.

Presentation of our appraisal house

Based in Belgium, our appraisal and sales house specializes in African art and ethnography. A reference seller on Catawiki for over 8 years, we benefit from a solid reputation and a history of several hundred sales with an almost 100% satisfaction rate.

We regularly assist with liquidations, successions, and dispersals of collections, in collaboration with private individuals and families in Belgium and neighboring countries. Our approach is rigorous, transparent, and accessible, with sales often proposed without reserve price.

Some pieces that have passed through our hands have joined international private collections and, for some, museum institutions.

Shipping guaranteed within 24 hours, with careful packaging, insurance, and tracking.
Contact 7 days a week: we remain available for any questions or requests for additional information."} ]} <|endoftext|>