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

Exceptional collection of nkisi figures (minkisi) - 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 for a presentation particularly evocative of the ritual arts of the Kongo cultural area.

The figures are distinguished by their expressive faces, their abdominal cavities, their ligatures, vegetal fibers, textiles, feathers and other attached elements. These features 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 cavities of the body in order to concentrate power related notably to protection, healing, mediation or maintaining social order. (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

This set 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 set of remarkable aesthetic and iconographic coherence.

Presentation of our expert house

Based in Belgium, our appraisal and sale house specializes in African art and ethnography. A reference seller on Catawiki for over 8 years, we enjoy 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 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 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.