Cleveland Museum of Art

Figure (Nkishi)

Date

late 1800s–early 1900s

Medium

Wood, organic materials (including resin and soil), plant fiber, and glass beads

Culture

Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Luba-style maker

Department

African Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The substances contained in its cloth-covered cranial cavity indicate that this half-figure belongs to the broad category of charms or “power objects” that the Luba call mankishi . It was used by a ritual expert and functioned in a variety of rituals dealing with healing, protection, divination, or jurisdiction. Often such power figures were carved by the ritual experts rather than by professional artists. Unlike most Luba arts, this figure is not connected to the royal court.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.