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Power Figure (Nkisi N'Kondi: Mangaaka)

Kongo peoples; Yombe group

19th century, inventoried 1909

Not on view

This Mangaaka figure, obtained by Visser in the Loango region before 1904, is one of three that he procured for the Leipzig Museum. Another example may have been destroyed during World War II and a third was deaccessioned and later acquired by the Detroit Institute of Arts. This example remains engulfed in the extensive empowering additions contributed by a ritual specialist. These take the form of a beard that extends around the perimeter of the jaw composed of plant matter and the ritual garment around the lower body, or makolo, composed of bundles of woven and tied fibers.

Power Figure (Nkisi N'Kondi: Mangaaka), Wood, iron, resin, cowrie shell, ceramic, plant fiber, textile, pigment, Kongo peoples; Yombe group — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Power Figure (Nkisi N'Kondi: Mangaaka), Wood, iron, resin, cowrie shell, ceramic, plant fiber, textile, pigment, Kongo peoples; Yombe group

Power Figure (Nkisi N'Kondi: Mangaaka), Wood, iron, resin, cowrie shell, ceramic, plant fiber, textile, pigment, Kongo peoples; Yombe group

Power Figure (Nkisi N'Kondi: Mangaaka), Wood, iron, resin, cowrie shell, ceramic, plant fiber, textile, pigment, Kongo peoples; Yombe group

Power Figure (Nkisi N'Kondi: Mangaaka), Wood, iron, resin, cowrie shell, ceramic, plant fiber, textile, pigment, Kongo peoples; Yombe group

Power Figure (Nkisi N'Kondi: Mangaaka), Wood, iron, resin, cowrie shell, ceramic, plant fiber, textile, pigment, Kongo peoples; Yombe group

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: Power Figure (Nkisi N'Kondi: Mangaaka)

Date: 19th century, inventoried 1909

Geography: Cabinda, Angola, Chiloango River region

Culture: Kongo peoples; Yombe group

Medium: Wood, iron, resin, cowrie shell, ceramic, plant fiber, textile, pigment

Dimensions: H. 43 1/4 in. (110 cm), W. 17 3/8 in. (44 cm), D. 16 1/2 in. (42 cm)

Classification: Wood-Sculpture

Credit Line: GRASSI Museum für Völkerkunde zu Leipzig, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden

The Met

The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing at The Met

The Met's collection of art of the peoples of sub-Saharan Africa, the Pacific Islands, and North, Central, and South America comprises more than eleven thousand works of art of varied materials and types, representing diverse cultural traditions from as early as 3000 B.C.E. to the present.