Mfunga (fly whisk) with bound female figure
Yombe-Kongo artist
Kongo artist
Not on view
When brandished with a sweeping motion, a fly whisk’s tuft can ceremonially purify the space surrounding its bearer and anoint others through the sprinkling of liquid libations. Kongo titleholders sometimes inherited such instruments from their predecessors as commemorative heirlooms. During the nineteenth century, bound female captives were frequently depicted on fly-whisk handles and staff finials as emblems of subjugation to chiefly authority. In this unusual example, the figure’s hands and feet are depicted as hooves.
