Mokengue (bell)
Along with seats, staffs, and fly whisks, members of a powerful male professional association known as evovi (judges) wielded bells as emblems of their authority. These markers of status enhanced a judge’s gestures and punctuated his pronouncements. When sounded, the bell produced reverberations likened to that of a beating heart. The head-shaped wood handle represents Kombe, a Tsogho mythical being regarded as the supreme justice and as a source of life.
Artwork Details
- Title: Mokengue (bell)
- Artist: Tsogho artist
- Date: 19th–first half of 20th century
- Geography: Gabon
- Culture: Tsogho peoples
- Medium: Wood, iron, pigment, plant fiber
- Dimensions: H. 15 15/16 x W. 5 x D. 4 1/8 in. (40.6 x 12.7 x 10.5 cm)
- Classification: Metal-Musical Instruments
- Credit Line: The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1966
- Object Number: 1978.412.516
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing
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