Male Figure with Strips of Hide (Nkisi)

Creator Name

Kongo

Cultural Context

Date

19th century

Source

Brooklyn Museum

About the work

Brooklyn Museum Object Description

Male figure with glass mirror in eyes and torso. Strips of hide with animal hair surround figure below waist. Dark brown patina on top of head (medicine bundle missing, possibly). Lips are large and well-defined. Condition: Good.

Work details

"--" = no data available

= Curationist added metadata(Learn more)

Title

Male Figure with Strips of Hide (Nkisi)

Creator

Kongo, African, Culture

Worktype

Sculpture

Cultural Context

Material

Wood, hide, glass mirror, resin, textile, and metal

Dimensions

16 1/2 × 14 1/2 × 13 1/2 in. (41.9 × 36.8 × 34.3 cm)

Technique

Language

Date

19th century

Provenance

Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, Jan 01, 1922; Prior to 1922, provenance not yet documented; by 1922, acquired by François Poncelet of Brussels, Belgium; 1922, purchased in Brussels from François Poncelet by Stewart Culin for the Brooklyn Museum.

Style Period

Rights

Creative Commons Attribution

Creative Commons-BY

Inscription

cursive on paper ahdered to figure's back reads: "[???]bi [???]tisha quere [???]e la [pluare?] [???]kweyu[m?--]" from conservation report 02/17/2023

Location

Angola; Democratic Republic of the Congo

Source

Brooklyn Museum

Subject

Topic