Bakongo - Nkisi fetish figure - Bakongo - DR Congo
02
days
11
hours
06
minutes
59
seconds
Starting bid
€ 1
Reserve price not met
Expert
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 from the Bakongo culture in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, from a private collection; height 32 cm, width 1 cm, depth 1 cm, weight 1 g, in excellent condition.
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Description from the seller
Continuation and finale of our exceptional collection of nkisi (minkisi) statuettes - BAKONGO POWER
This set gathers a remarkable corpus of statuettes inspired by the Kongo (Bakongo) tradition.
The coherence of the whole, 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, vegetal fibers, textiles, feathers and other attached 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 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) introduced the bilongo, substances placed in body cavities to concentrate power linked in particular 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 Central Africa’s major sculptural repertoires.
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 expert house and auction house specializes in African art and ethnography. 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 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 finale of our exceptional collection of nkisi (minkisi) statuettes - BAKONGO POWER
This set gathers a remarkable corpus of statuettes inspired by the Kongo (Bakongo) tradition.
The coherence of the whole, 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, vegetal fibers, textiles, feathers and other attached 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 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) introduced the bilongo, substances placed in body cavities to concentrate power linked in particular 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 Central Africa’s major sculptural repertoires.
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 expert house and auction house specializes in African art and ethnography. 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 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
32 cm
Width
1 cm
Depth
1 cm
Weight
1 g
Provenance
Private collection
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