Minneapolis Institute of Art

Toni Malau (St. Anthony)

Kongo artist

Date

late 18th–early 19th century

Medium

Ivory

Culture

Kongo

Department

Arts of Global Africa

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

This centuries-old African representation of Saint Anthony of Padua is a good example of syncretism. Syncretism is the combination of different, seemingly contradictory belief systems. Known as Toni Malau among the Kongo people, “Anthony of Prosperity” is shown here wearing a European monk’s clothing, belt, and sandals. Yet over his shoulders he wears a netted cape, a raffia garment reserved for Kongo nobility, and parts of the Child’s arms and Toni Malau’s left hand have gradually been scraped off as believers took bits of ivory for healing or protection. Drawing its form and power from both traditions, Toni Malau embodies the rich exchange between Kongo and Christian religious thought and imagery, which developed before forced conversion under colonialism. Democratic Republic of the Congo

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