Power Figure

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Culture Kongo

Title Power Figure

Date 19th–mid 20th century

Medium Wood and incrustation

Dimensions Object: 13 3/8 × 5 × 4 1/8 in. (34 × 12.7 × 10.5 cm)
Overall (includes mount): 15 1/4 × 5 1/4 × 4 3/4 in. (38.7 × 13.3 × 12.1 cm)

Credit Line Gift of Frederick Stafford, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 60.7

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About this Work

For some objects, we cannot talk about a single person as the creator. On this figure, the mass on the front of the torso contains the spiritually charged materials that enabled the figure to serve as a conduit between the earthly and spiritual realms. The mass's contents were not known to the carver, but rather to the priest who added it after the figure was carved.

Provenance
More Details

Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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Cite this Page
"Power Figure | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2024. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=60.7