Mbulu ngulu (image of the dead)

Late 19th–early 20th century

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 344

Richly contrasting precious metals were pounded flat and artfully applied to enliven this planar representation of a Kota ancestral guardian. While regional artists were endlessly inventive in addressing this theme, they consistently used two design elements to allude to the role their works played in mediating between the living and the departed: the cruciform that divides the face and the diamond-shaped division at the base. Both are symbolic notations for the cosmos and the journey into the afterlife.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Mbulu ngulu (image of the dead)
Artist: Obamba(?)–Kota artist
Date: Late 19th–early 20th century
Geography: Gabon
Culture: Kota peoples
Medium: Wood, copper alloy, iron
Dimensions: H. 18 3/8 in. x W. 8 1/2 in. x D. 3 1/2 in.
Block: H 3 in. x W. 6 1/4 in. x D. 5 in.
Classifications: Wood-Reliefs, Metal-Sculpture
Credit Line: Gift of Carol B. Kenney, in memory of Jerome P. Kenney, 2025
Object Number: 2025.96.2
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

More Artwork

From the same culture

By Obamba(?)–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

Reliquary, Kota artist, Wood, cane, pigment, raffia palm, leaves, copper alloy, resin, primate skull, spire shell, Kota peoples — Reliquary
Kota artist
19th–first half of 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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