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Source Description
This figure is of the <em>nduda</em> type, characterized by the attached "guns" loaded with gunpowder and used to shoot witches. It is the only figure that adopts the threatening pose: the right hand raised, holding a spear or knife, and the left hand resting on the hip. Two guns protrude horizontally on both sides of the cylindrical medicine pack on the belly, covered with a round piece of mirror.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
168732
label
Power figure (nkisi)
core
obj
dtoType
sculpture
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
168732
contentType
sculpture
title
Power figure (nkisi)
description
This figure is of the <em>nduda</em> type, characterized by the attached "guns" loaded with gunpowder and used to shoot witches. It is the only figure that adopts the threatening pose: the right hand raised, holding a spear or knife, and the left hand resting on the hip. Two guns protrude horizontally on both sides of the cylindrical medicine pack on the belly, covered with a round piece of mirror.
date
late 1800s-early 1900s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80075077
genreSpecific
Sculpture
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 17 x 7 x 6.5 cm (6 11/16 x 2 3/4 x 2 9/16 in.)
cul
Central Africa, Republic of the Congo, Kongo people
accession
2010.438
Source extras
tec
Wood, organic materials (including resin), probably kaolin, and metalized glass
tombstone
Power figure (nkisi), late 1800s-early 1900s. Central Africa, Republic of the Congo, Kongo people. Wood, organic materials (including resin), probably kaolin, and metalized glass; overall: 17 x 7 x 6.5 cm (6 11/16 x 2 3/4 x 2 9/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 2010.438
collection
African Art
didYouKnow
This is the only figure in a group of seven found in a French antique shop adopting a threatening pose.
citations
citation
Petridis, Constantine, et al. <em>Fragments of the Invisible: The René and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture.</em> Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art. Milan: 5 Continents Editions, 2013, 54-58.
page_number
Mentioned: pp. 54, 56, 113: reproduced: pp. 58-60, cat. 16
creditline
René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:40:36.703000
sourceId
168732
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
Wood, organic materials (including resin), probably kaolin, and metalized glass
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
f22c31c5dc74c8af