Songye Nkishi figure
African Art Songye
A wooden statue of a male with a distinctive shaped head of the Songye artistic style. The head is elongated to the sides to accommodate the very large, almond shaped eyes which are half closed. The nose is triangular in shape and the small, crescent shaped mouth sits above the small, jutting chin. To the top of the head is a hole into which was once inserted a horn filled with magical substances. The thick neck rests on wide, flat shoulders. To the chest are breasts. The arms are bent at the elbows and the hands rest on the enlarged stomach which has a deeply drilled navel, possibly once filled with magical substances. The legs are bent at the knees and between them is a large penis. The feet are almost indistinguishable from the oval base. Mounted on a custom made stand.
The Songye, like the Kongo, believe that the first Nkisi were given to them by the gods. The Songye have a deserved reputation for being fierce and fetish statues are more numerous than ancestor figures. The material that is placed into the horn or stomach cavity is specific to the purpose of the Nkisi. For hunting there might be part of a dog’s muzzle, a swallow’s wing and, if possible, the finger of a pygmy; it is believed among the Songye that the pygmy are the most renowned hunters. Other uses of the Nkisi include warding off evil spirits, sorcerers or other hostile powers, as well as aid in the fertility of crops and humans.
Origin : Click !
A large part of the objects in this collection were given as a donation to the Geneva Museum of Ethnography in the 1980s. We are committed to providing detailed information on request.
01518
Data sheet
- Presumed dating
- Circa 1930
- Size
- 18,5 x 6,5 cm
- Ethnic group
- Material(s)
- Wood
- Country
- Origin
- Émile Chambon, Artiste Peintre, Genève
- Stand
- Included
- Condition
- Excellent
You might also like
Customers who bought this product also bought:
African Art Songye
A wooden statue of a male with a distinctive shaped head of the Songye artistic style. The head is elongated to the sides to accommodate the very large, almond shaped eyes which are half closed. The nose is triangular in shape and the small, crescent shaped mouth sits above the small, jutting chin. To the top of the head is a hole into which was once inserted a horn filled with magical substances. The thick neck rests on wide, flat shoulders. To the chest are breasts. The arms are bent at the elbows and the hands rest on the enlarged stomach which has a deeply drilled navel, possibly once filled with magical substances. The legs are bent at the knees and between them is a large penis. The feet are almost indistinguishable from the oval base. Mounted on a custom made stand.
The Songye, like the Kongo, believe that the first Nkisi were given to them by the gods. The Songye have a deserved reputation for being fierce and fetish statues are more numerous than ancestor figures. The material that is placed into the horn or stomach cavity is specific to the purpose of the Nkisi. For hunting there might be part of a dog’s muzzle, a swallow’s wing and, if possible, the finger of a pygmy; it is believed among the Songye that the pygmy are the most renowned hunters. Other uses of the Nkisi include warding off evil spirits, sorcerers or other hostile powers, as well as aid in the fertility of crops and humans.
Origin : Click !
A large part of the objects in this collection were given as a donation to the Geneva Museum of Ethnography in the 1980s. We are committed to providing detailed information on request.