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

Exceptional collection of nkisi (minkisi) statues - BAKONGO POWER

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

The coherence of the collection, 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, their abdominal cavities, their bindings, plant fibers, textiles, feathers and other attached elements. These characteristics refer to 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 moreover goes beyond 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 the bilongo, substances placed in bodily cavities to concentrate a power related notably to protection, healing, mediation or the maintenance of social order. (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

This set offers a particularly appealing 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 highly coherent aesthetic and iconographic ensemble.

Presentation of our expertise house

Based in Belgium, our house of expertise and sale specializes in African art and ethnography. A reference seller on Catawiki for over 8 years, we enjoy a solid reputation and a history of hundreds of sales with a nearly 100% satisfaction rate.

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

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

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