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Male Figure (Nkisi Nkondi)
The Art Institute of Chicago

Male Figure (Nkisi Nkondi)

Wood, metal, glass, fabric, fiber, cowrie shells, bone, leather, gourd, and feathersKongo: Vili Republic of the Congo Central Africa/Probably early to mid-19th century

Description

The term nkisi refers to spirit-invested objects that were empowered with medicinal and magical ingredients called bilongo. In the case of this male figure, the bilongo are enclosed in the cap on the head and in the mirror-sealed resin packet on the abdomen. The name nkondi refers to the figure’s ability to hunt down and punish wrongdoers. A nail or a blade was driven into the figure to prompt the inhabiting spirit at every consultation.

Provenance

Klaus Clausmeyer (died 1968), Düsseldorf, Germany, by 1958. Ludwig Bretschneider (died 1987), Galerie Ludwig Bretschneider, Münich, Germany, by 1959; sold to Ulfert Wilke (died 1987), New York, N.Y. and Iowa City, Iowa, from 1960 [see Ulfert Wilke, an Artist Collects and Wilke correspondence with Bretschneider in curatorial file]. Merton Simpson (died 2013), Merton D. Simpson Gallery, New York, N.Y., by 1971; sold to Armand Arman (died 2005), New York, N.Y., 1974 [Pace Gallery, African Accumlative Sculpture, 1974, pp. 51 and 67, no. 103]; sold by the Donald Morris Gallery, New York, N.Y. and Birmingham, Mich. to the Art Institute, 1998.

Dimensions

73.7 × 33.1 × 28 cm (29 × 13 × 11 in.)

Movement / Period

vili

Accession No

151358

Official Citations

[The Art Institute of Chicago Official Record][Full Resolution Image]
Curatorial Affinity Stream

Continuing the Universe of Kongo: Vili Republic of the Congo Central Africa

vili • Republic of the Congo • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries