Reliquary figure (muzidi) / Artist Unknown, African, Congo (Zaire), Bembe
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1985/1.187
- Title
- Reliquary figure (muzidi)
- Artist Nationality
- Congolese (Zairean)
- Medium and Support
- dyed woven cotton cloth, vegetable fiber, cane, wood pegs, human remains
- Object Creation Date
- circa 1890
- Object Creation Place
- Africa (continent)
- Congo, Democratic Republic of the (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- Africa (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Congo, Democratic Republic of the (nation)
- Credit Line
- Anonymous Gift
- Dimensions
- 40.3 cm x 37.2 cm x 22.9 cm (15 7/8 in. x 14 5/8 in. x 9 in.)
- Century
- 19th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Sculpture
- Primary Object Type
- figure
- Physical Description
- Cloth figure of a human, bound around human remains. The figure is in a seated position with arms outstretched. The torso and neck are cylindrical and elongated.
- Subject Matter
- Muzidi are depictions of ancestral spirits. Once properly activated, they protect their descendants from general misfortune and illness. Like minkisi, they accomplish this by connecting beings from different points of existence. Although they are inhabited by specific ancestors, their form does not represent them physically. Muzidi are deactivated when the ancestor spirit leaves it, reverted back to a inanimate object.
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- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 815 x 961
- File Size
- 41 KB
- Record
- 1985/1.187
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1985-sl-1.187/1985_1.187.jpg
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Related Links
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IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1985-SL-1.187:1985_1.187.JPG
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- Full citation
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"Reliquary figure (muzidi); Artist Unknown, African, Congo (Zaire), Bembe." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1985-sl-1.187/1985_1.187.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 24, 2024.
