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African & Tribal Art :
AS collection : Kongo wooden Nkisi Nkondi fetish idol
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Kongo wooden Nkisi Nkondi fetish idol - CB.003
Origin: Southwestern Congo/Angola
Circa: 20
th
Century AD
Dimensions:
33" (83.8cm) high
Collection: African Art
Medium: Wood, bronze
Condition: Very Fine
Additional Information: AS
Location: Great Britain
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| Description |
This impactive piece is one of the
most recognisable icons of African
art – the so-called “nail fetish” (nkisi
nkondi), arguably the Kongo
kingdom’s greatest artistic
achievement. Underneath the nails is
a full-square representation of a
standing male figure, designed to be
as intimidating as possible. He is
shouting with open mouth and bared
teeth, with narrowed eyes, a thick
nose and a headdress made of
warthog tusks. He is bristling with
nails; the purpose of these is
explained below.
The main focus of the piece is the
prominent object attached to the
figure’s abdomen. This addition is
made from magical items – such as
grave earth from the grave of an
important person, blood and other
organic material – that was affixed
as a lump to the figure, thus
endowing it with power. Sometimes
substituted or combined with
magical materials such as glass or
mirrors, the “bilongo” was the most
significant part of these figures,
which were appealed to for
supernatural help in times of
adversity. The piece, however
dramatic, was of secondary
importance to the bilongo.
In order to appeal for supernatural
help against an enemy, one would
hammer a nail into or otherwise
abuse (setting off explosions in front
of him, for example) the statue, the
spirit of which would become
enraged and go to punish the
miscreant. The attentions of the
spirit were sometimes guided by
“dogs” – small bundles of textile and
other materials that were attached
to the nail and that were relevant to
the request (the hair from a stolen
goat, for instance). The spirit would
thus know whom to punish, and if
the applicant made his “prayer”
known to the village, the miscreant
might develop psychosomatic
symptoms or otherwise betray
him/her-self in fear of what might
happen.
The Kongo (or Bakongo) people live
in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Angola and the Congo. The
kingdom absorbed European
traditions and religion without
excessive bloodshed, and, more
importantly, with much of their
indigenous culture intact. Indigenous
Kongo society was based around the
kingship model, with extensive
arrays of civil servants and court
officials not unlike that of the
Nigerian Kingdom of Benin. Their
religious beliefs are based around a
reverence for the dead who are
believed to be able to assist in the
determination of future destinies.
They are also believed to inhabit
minkisi (singular nkisi), or charms,
that can be appealed to for
assistance in times of duress or
uncertainty. The most notable pieces
of Kongo sculpture are the Nkisi
Nkondi figures, as detailed above.
This is a socially and aesthetically
important piece of African art, and a
credit to any serious collection of the
genre.
- (CB.003)
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