Nkisi Power Figure
Kongo artist and nganga (ritual specialist) · 19th–first half of 20th century
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Early modern · № 158
Ancestor Figure Teke
Teke artist · 19th century
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Object record
Ancestor Figure Teke
- Maker
- Teke artist
- Date
- 19th century
- Place
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Material
- Wood (ngasu or mulong), cloth, organic matter, pigment
- Dimensions
- 49.1 × 12.7 × 12.7 cm
- Current collection
- Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
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The carved head is fully visible, while the torso is enclosed in cloth and organic material. The construction suggests that the contained materials were integral to the work, not simply a covering.
How to use the model
Examine the work from more than one angle.
Use the 3D view to inspect the overall form, then zoom in to compare surface, joins, and tool marks. Lighting controls can make shallow carving and material changes easier to see.
- Maker
- Teke artist
- Date
- 19th century
- Place
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Material
- Wood (ngasu or mulong), cloth, organic matter, pigment
- Dimensions
- 49.1 × 12.7 × 12.7 cm
- Current collection
- Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
- Source
- The Met ↗
- Rights
- CC0 1.0
Related exhibitions
This work appears in
02Power & PresenceView exhibition ↗Related works
