Vintage African Bakongo Nkisi Nkondi nail fetish, cloth, glass, painted wood For Sale

20" high8.5" wide6.5" deepweight 4lbs 5oz
Wood, nails, cloth, glass.
This figure has multiple small dense cloth pillows held with nails. Glass eyes, paint adorned face.Stands alone.
*** "The Kongo people are distributed throughout the Zaire River Basin, from the modern day Republic of the Congo down through northern Angola. Unique to the Kongo's region are the 'nkisi,' carvings considered extremely powerful by the people, and even by British colonialists who ordered them destroyed when found, fearing that they could be an effective resistance to the colonization of Africa. These "fetishes" are generally adorned with nails, or blades of metal, and are the only figures in African art embellished in this way. Nkisis aside, however, the Kongo produce many different styles of art, each of which have gained substantial attention and notoriety from collectors. Nkondi feature a bowl shaped relief in the abdomen that would be filled with various 'magic' substances (specific plants and other natural materials) by a skilled holy man in order to activate the statue. After activating it, the Nkondi had to be 'called to action'. This was accomplished in a number of ways; by taunting it, singing to it, driving nails or blades into it, and by other means. In many cases, a mirror, or other covering was used to seal up the relief. These pieces gained real power when used because the Kongo people, and even many later colonials genuinely believed in their effectiveness.***"

---