Fibre-Bound Power Figure with Painted Face (Nkisi)

The face is painted white with kaolin (mpemba), the colour of the dead and of the ancestral world, which places the figure on the threshold between the living and the spirit realm. The right arm is raised, the hand formed into a ring with the thumb pointing upwards, a gesture of readiness.

The torso is bound with fibre, cord and cloth and set with nails, the construction associated with the type known as nkisi nduda, used for protection and divination. Each nail marks an invocation or a petition sealed by the nganga. A rounded receptacle sits at the belly, and a large bundle, bound with criss-crossing cords, is tied to the back; both held bilongo.

The pale, calm face and the smooth, rounded head stand out against the dark, bound mass of the torso. The raised arm gives the figure a strong vertical accent, and the criss-cross cords of the back bundle form a striking pattern. The figure stands upright on carved feet on a block base, with a warm, even patina on the exposed wood.