Bakongo - Nkisi fetish figure - Bakongo - DR Congo
05
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€ 1
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Selected by Julien Gauthier
A decade of experience in historical arms, armour, and African art.
Estimate € 280 - € 330
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BAKONGO, a Nkisi figure of the Bakongo culture from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, provenance private collection.
AI-assisted summary
Description from the seller
Continuation and conclusion of our exceptional collection of nkisi (minkisi) statues - BAKONGO POWER
This ensemble brings together a remarkable corpus of statues 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 stand out for their expressive faces, their abdominal cavities, their bindings, vegetal fibers, textiles, feathers and other attached elements. These features 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 furthermore goes beyond the Western notion of “fetish”. (Smithsonian National Museum of African Art)
In the Kongo tradition, the sculptor shaped the figure before the nganga (ritual specialist) introduces the bilongo, substances placed in body cavities to concentrate a power related in particular to protection, healing, mediation or 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 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 appraisal house
Based in Belgium, our appraisal and sales house specializes in African and ethnographic art. A leading seller on Catawiki for over 8 years, we enjoy a solid reputation and a track record 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 many sales offered without reserve.
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 further information.
Continuation and conclusion of our exceptional collection of nkisi (minkisi) statues - BAKONGO POWER
This ensemble brings together a remarkable corpus of statues 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 stand out for their expressive faces, their abdominal cavities, their bindings, vegetal fibers, textiles, feathers and other attached elements. These features 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 furthermore goes beyond the Western notion of “fetish”. (Smithsonian National Museum of African Art)
In the Kongo tradition, the sculptor shaped the figure before the nganga (ritual specialist) introduces the bilongo, substances placed in body cavities to concentrate a power related in particular to protection, healing, mediation or 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 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 appraisal house
Based in Belgium, our appraisal and sales house specializes in African and ethnographic art. A leading seller on Catawiki for over 8 years, we enjoy a solid reputation and a track record 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 many sales offered without reserve.
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 further information.
Details
Indigenous object name
Nkisi fetish figure
Ethnic group/ culture
Bakongo
Country of Origin
DR Congo
Sold with stand
No
Condition
Good condition
Title of artwork
Bakongo
Height
27 cm
Width
1 cm
Depth
1 cm
Weight
1 g
Provenance
Private collection
Sold by
