Power Figure with Mirror and Beard (Nkisi Nkondi)

The raised arm ends in a ring-shaped hand with the thumb pointing upwards, a gesture read as the bond between earth and heaven created when the spirit is activated. The open mouth refers to eloquence in giving judgement and to the need to feed the spirit. The glass eyes and the mirror on the belly box sharpen the figure’s second sight, and the medicines were kept in the belly cavity behind the mirror.

The nails were driven in to wake the spirit, each recording an oath or an agreement. The beard marks seniority, and the cap recalls the headdress of chiefs and priests.

A commanding frontal figure. The raised arm and the large, calm head, with its broad carved beard and inlaid eyes, stand against the bristling mass of nails and blades on the torso. The mirror and the glass eyes catch the light and give the figure a watchful quality. The surface is an even, matt grey-brown.