Kongo-Yombe Power Figure of the name "Mananguna," Democratic Republic of the Congo

nkisi n'kondi
height 24in (61cm)
'429' painted on the reverse

Provenance
Collected in situ by Father Léo Bittremieux for the Scheut Mission in the Kangu region between 1907 and 1909, with the figure's name recorded as Mananguna
Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain, acquired from the above in 1909
Jacques and Denise Schwob Collection, Brussels
Merton D. Simpson Gallery, New York (inv. no. 4893)
Allan Stone Collection, New York, acquired from the above in 1985

Published
Olbrechts, Frans M., Les Arts au Congo Belge et au Ruanda-Urundi, Brussels, 1950, p. 83, cat. 5
Dumouchelle, Kevin, Power Incarnate - Allan Stone's Collection of Sculpture from the Congo, Greenwich, Connecticut, 2011, p. 29, cat. 5

Exhibited
Vatican City, Les Arts au Congo Belge et au Ruanda-Uruni, 1950
Greenwich, Connecticut, Power Incarnate - Allan Stone's Collection of Sculpture from the Congo, The Brice Museum, 14 May - 4 September 2011

Carved from light wood, the present sculpture has an unmistakably powerful and menacing presence. The large staring eyes made of glass are hypnotic. The open mouth with upper and lower teeth incisors is trance-like. The broad rounded shoulders portray a powerful body with a raised right arm which would have once held a weapon. The torso is fluttered with metal nails and spikes, used to activate the figure's healing powers. Wear and signs of age to the wood suggest this is a particularly early example with significant cultural use.