Kongo Nkisi Nkondi dog - DR Congo (No reserve price)

Chien Kongo Nkisi Nkonde – Power figure – Democratic Republic of the Congo

Imposing and expressive Kongo-type Nkisi Nkonde zoomorphic figure, representing a dog. Carved in wood, the piece is laden with numerous nails, blades and metal elements embedded in the body, characteristic of the iconography of minkisi power figures in the Kongo world.

In Kongo tradition, the dog occupies a special symbolic place. Able to move within the human environment while being associated with hunting and the unseen world, it can be considered an intermediary between the world of the living and that of the spirits. The two-faced representation, looking in opposite directions, reinforces this idea of vigilance and the ability to oversee multiple spaces.

Nkisi Nkonde were objects endowed with a ritual function. They could intervene in practices related to protection, healing, oaths, conflict resolution or the search for justice. The metal elements were added during various ritual interventions and materialized, in particular, commitments or the activation of the power attributed to the object.

This specimen presents a particularly spectacular construction: a massive body resting on four legs, two long heads with mouths adorned with geometric motifs, numerous metal insertions on the back and a beautiful brown patina nuanced with wear, irregularities and traces of time.

A piece with a very strong sculptural presence, representative of the universe of Kongo power objects