Power figure (nkisi) / Artist Unknown, African, Congo (Zaire), Vili
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 2005/1.183
- Title
- Power figure (nkisi)
- Artist Nationality
- Congolese (Zairean)
- Medium and Support
- wood, woven cotton fiber, glass, split cane, elephant hair, metal, resin
- Object Creation Date
- circa 1850
- 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
- Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
- Dimensions
- 23.3 cm x 9.8 cm x 9.2 cm (9 3/16 in. x 3 7/8 in. x 3 5/8 in.)
- Century
- 19th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Sculpture
- Physical Description
- Carved wooden figure of a human. The umbilicus protrudes and is concave, which would have held magical/medicinal substances. The figure is posed with crossed legs and one hand supprting the head. The face is detailed.
- Subject Matter
- Nkisi is a generic term for a class of power objects. These objects are employed as solutions to social and physical problems. They are ritually charged objects, abile to facilitate movement of spirits between differnet points of existence. This figure's crossed legs and arm positioning (one up, one down) signify the ability to connect different points.
- Primary Keywords
- representation
- Secondary Keywords
- visual arts
- artistic concepts
- associated concepts
- concepts in the arts
- forms of expression
- healing
- people and culture
- 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
- 1830 x 2796
- File Size
- 124 KB
- Record
- 2005/1.183
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2005-sl-1.183/2005_1.183.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
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IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:2005-SL-1.183:2005_1.183.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Power figure (nkisi); Artist Unknown, African, Congo (Zaire), Vili." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2005-sl-1.183/2005_1.183.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 23, 2024.
