Reliquary

19th–first half of 20th century

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 344

This delicate ancestral figure appears to float above a familial altar. The copper sheeting applied to its surface endows it with an otherworldly luminosity associated with healing and protection. Conserved in the home of a clan leader, the precious relics contained within the basket served as a conduit with the ancestral realm. Through them an extended family might communicate with notable forebears and pray for their intercession in matters of community health and well-being. While many reliquaries contained human remains, this is not the case for this example. X-ray analysis of its bundle has revealed other elements, including a primate skull. In the recent past, monkey, chimpanzee, and gorilla skulls were commonly preserved in Kota and Mahongwe communities. Gorillas in particular served as symbols of supernatural power that could be harnessed by occult specialists.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Reliquary
Artist: Kota artist
Date: 19th–first half of 20th century
Geography: Gabon
Culture: Kota peoples
Medium: Wood, cane, pigment, raffia palm, leaves, copper alloy, resin, primate skull, spire shell
Dimensions: H. 15 × W. 15 × D. 13 × L. (mat) 31 3/4 in. (38.1 × 38.1 × 33 × 80.6 cm)
Classification: Wood-Vessels
Credit Line: The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979
Object Number: 1979.206.287a-e
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

More Artwork

From the same culture

By Kota artist

In the same gallery

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Eyema byeri (reliquary guardian figure), Okak-Fang artist, Wood, copper alloy, palm oil — Eyema byeri (reliquary guardian figure)
Okak-Fang artist
19th century

Nlô byeri (reliquary guardian head), Betsi-Fang artist, Wood, copper alloy, palm oil, Fang-Betsi — Nlô byeri (reliquary guardian head)
Betsi-Fang artist
19th century

Mukudj (mask), Punu artist, Wood, pigment, kaolin, Punu — Mukudj (mask)
Punu artist
mid-19th–mid-20th century

Mbulu ngulu (image of the dead), Obamba(?)–Kota artist, Wood, copper alloy, iron, Kota peoples — Mbulu ngulu (image of the dead)
Obamba(?)–Kota artist
Late 19th–early 20th century

Mokengue (bell), Tsogho artist, Wood, iron, pigment, plant fiber, Tsogho peoples — Mokengue (bell)
Tsogho artist
19th–first half of 20th century

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