Power Figure

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Culture Kongo

Title Power Figure (Nkisi N'konde)

Date 19th–mid 20th century

Medium Wood, iron, and and pigment

Dimensions Object: 40 1/2 × 11 1/2 × 8 in. (102.9 × 29.2 × 20.3 cm)
Overall: 40 1/2 × 11 1/2 × 8 in. (102.9 × 29.2 × 20.3 cm)

Credit Line Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 77.29

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About this Work

In the western Southern Savanna, depictions of human images from the area of the lower Congo River, like this example, tend to be more naturalistic than those farther east from the vicinity of the Kwango and Kwilu rivers.

The pieces of metal that have been embedded in the figure were done so as part of promises made or in order to try and get rid of evil.

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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"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=77.29