Bakongo - Nkisi fetish figure - Bakongo - DR Congo
05
days
15
hours
36
minutes
20
seconds
Starting bid
€ 1
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Selected by Julien Gauthier
A decade of experience in historical arms, armour, and African art.
Estimate € 300 - € 350
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Bakongo nkisi figure, 27 cm high, 1 cm wide, 1 cm deep, weight 1 g, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bakongo ethnicity, provenance Collection privée, titled BAKONGO, in excellent condition, sold without a stand.
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Description from the seller
Continuation and conclusion of our exceptional collection of nkisi (minkisi) statuettes - BAKONGO POWER
This set brings together a remarkable corpus of statuettes inspired by the Kongo tradition (Bakongo).
The coherence of the ensemble, the diversity of silhouettes and the richness of the sculptural treatments make this 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 applied elements. These characteristics refer to the plastic vocabulary of minkisi (singular: nkisi), sculptures intended to embody a spiritual force or a specific function within Kongo societies. The term nkisi moreover surpasses 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 ensemble offers a particularly appealing panorama of one of the major sculptural repertoires of Central Africa.
Each statuette will be offered at auction individually, marking its first public sale presentation, thereby giving collectors the opportunity to acquire a work within a set of remarkable aesthetic and iconographic coherence.
Presentation of our house of expertise
Based in Belgium, our house of expertise and sale specializes in African and ethnographic art. 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.
Continuation and conclusion of our exceptional collection of nkisi (minkisi) statuettes - BAKONGO POWER
This set brings together a remarkable corpus of statuettes inspired by the Kongo tradition (Bakongo).
The coherence of the ensemble, the diversity of silhouettes and the richness of the sculptural treatments make this 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 applied elements. These characteristics refer to the plastic vocabulary of minkisi (singular: nkisi), sculptures intended to embody a spiritual force or a specific function within Kongo societies. The term nkisi moreover surpasses 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 ensemble offers a particularly appealing panorama of one of the major sculptural repertoires of Central Africa.
Each statuette will be offered at auction individually, marking its first public sale presentation, thereby giving collectors the opportunity to acquire a work within a set of remarkable aesthetic and iconographic coherence.
Presentation of our house of expertise
Based in Belgium, our house of expertise and sale specializes in African and ethnographic art. 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.
Details
Indigenous object name
Nkisi fetish figure
Ethnic group/ culture
Bakongo
Country of Origin
DR Congo
Sold with stand
No
Condition
Excellent condition
Title of artwork
Bakongo
Height
27 cm
Width
1 cm
Depth
1 cm
Weight
1 g
Provenance
Private collection
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