chanleyleffel19
Male Power Figure (Nksi Nkondi) - 2010.432_web
This figure is possibly from the Democratic republic of Congo or Cabinda (Angola). It was created between the late 1800s and the early 1900s. It was skillfully created by a sculptor and then used by the Banganga which were the Kongo priests or shamans. The figure was made out of wood, metalized glass, iron, ivory or resin, natural fibers and various other organic materials. According to the Cleveland Museum of Art, this sculpture was once an active spiritual tool, used to host spirits and empowered by the contents that would have been sealed in the stomach cavity by the Banganga. Items in the stomach cavity were sometimes removed by the Kongo people as a form of anti-colonial resistance or to deactivate the object. I find this object unsettling due to its' appearance, however I find its' purpose very intriguing. The height of the figure is 46cm, the width is 25.7cm and it is 19.2cm deep. It was acquired through the Rene and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund; the accession number is 2010.432. The figure can be seen at the Cleveland Museum of Art in section 108A in Sub-Saharan art. The image is in the public domain. clevelandart.org/art/2010.432
Male Power Figure (Nksi Nkondi) - 2010.432_web
This figure is possibly from the Democratic republic of Congo or Cabinda (Angola). It was created between the late 1800s and the early 1900s. It was skillfully created by a sculptor and then used by the Banganga which were the Kongo priests or shamans. The figure was made out of wood, metalized glass, iron, ivory or resin, natural fibers and various other organic materials. According to the Cleveland Museum of Art, this sculpture was once an active spiritual tool, used to host spirits and empowered by the contents that would have been sealed in the stomach cavity by the Banganga. Items in the stomach cavity were sometimes removed by the Kongo people as a form of anti-colonial resistance or to deactivate the object. I find this object unsettling due to its' appearance, however I find its' purpose very intriguing. The height of the figure is 46cm, the width is 25.7cm and it is 19.2cm deep. It was acquired through the Rene and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund; the accession number is 2010.432. The figure can be seen at the Cleveland Museum of Art in section 108A in Sub-Saharan art. The image is in the public domain. clevelandart.org/art/2010.432