NZÉBI
NZÉBI
A ‘Janus’-style fetish head.
20th century.Height: 37 cm.Heavy wood, headdress made of raffia plaiting, spikes and cords.The two ‘Janus-like’ faces of this sculpture are each half-stained with white kaolin (symbolising the spirit world) and red dye (symbolising the life force) made from padauk, whilst the headdress reveals a black hue (symbolising the material world).The bird feathers that were attached to the headdress serve to attract spirits.The nails driven into the base of the statuette, connected by cords, serve to activate the object and bear witness to the use of this fetish, whose form is very similar to that of Kongo fetishes, particularly in the glass eyes, which in particular express the vision of the invisible.This ability is reinforced by the ‘Janus’-style structure of the head, symbolising the fetish’s dual vision through its capacity to ‘see’ both the past (the ancestors, tradition) and the future (the descendants, the clan’s destiny). The ‘Janus’ form also expresses omniscience through a comprehensive view of both worlds: the visible world of the living and the invisible world of the spirits.
NZÉBI
A ‘Janus’-style fetish head.
20th century.Height: 37 cm.Heavy wood, headdress made of raffia plaiting, spikes and cords.The two ‘Janus-like’ faces of this sculpture are each half-stained with white kaolin (symbolising the spirit world) and red dye (symbolising the life force) made from padauk, whilst the headdress reveals a black hue (symbolising the material world).The bird feathers that were attached to the headdress serve to attract spirits.The nails driven into the base of the statuette, connected by cords, serve to activate the object and bear witness to the use of this fetish, whose form is very similar to that of Kongo fetishes, particularly in the glass eyes, which in particular express the vision of the invisible.This ability is reinforced by the ‘Janus’-style structure of the head, symbolising the fetish’s dual vision through its capacity to ‘see’ both the past (the ancestors, tradition) and the future (the descendants, the clan’s destiny). The ‘Janus’ form also expresses omniscience through a comprehensive view of both worlds: the visible world of the living and the invisible world of the spirits.
