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

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

Imposing and expressive Kongo zoomorphic figure of the Nkisi Nkonde type, representing a dog with two opposite heads. Carved in wood, the piece is laden with numerous nails, blades, and metallic elements driven into the body, characteristic of the iconography of power figures (minkisi) in the Kongo world.

In Kongo tradition, the dog occupies a special symbolic place. Capable of moving among humans while associated with hunting and the invisible world, it can be regarded as an intermediary between the world of the living and that of the spirits. The two-headed representation, looking in opposite directions, reinforces this idea of vigilance and the ability to oversee multiple spaces.

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

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

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