The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 23, 2024

Male Figure (nkishi)

Male Figure (nkishi)

late 1800s–early 1900s

Did You Know?

Researchers conducted x-ray scanning on this figure, revealing its internal structure and human teeth, an antelope horn, and animal hair.

Description

This figure's visual impact and workmanship suggest that an extended family––rather than an individual––used it. The raffia skirt around the waist and the blue and white beads are indicators of leadership. The metal appliqué covering the face and the metal blades that hedge the headgear refer to the blacksmith, a culture hero celebrated in a Songye myth narrating the formation of the state. The metal strips on the skeletal face are said to relate to lightning, signaling the figure's role as a powerful anti-sorcerer, but the contrast between white iron and red copper symbolically alludes to the ambivalent powers of the figure.
  • Previous scientific studies of Songye mankishi indicated that, like humans, they had internal pathways linking their open mouths to their interiors, and that these contained bishimba, or secret ingredients placed there by the ritual priest to help connect the figure to spiritual powers. Since it is hard to tell from the outside whether the mouth is fully open, the figure was taken to a hospital for a CT scan for noninvasive imaging. The object was carefully packed lying on his back in a travel box with soft pillows to protect the fragile, woven raffia skirt. The detachable coiffure (hairstyle) made from twisted raffia was removed to minimize potential damage to it and was not scanned. The travel box was constructed to fit within the circular opening of the x-ray source and detectors, and the object stayed inside during the entire process. The scanner laser traveled down the length of the figure as if it were a human patient; the head, mouth, neck, arms, stomach, legs, and feet materialized one-by-one as over 800 images were compiled by the computer. This scan helped visualize the network of internal channels filled with precious materials, including the horn, mouth, stomach, and even the figure’s belts. While the scan confirmed for us that there are channels inside this figure, it cannot identify the ritually significant materials within it.
  • 1958
    (Galerie Moderne, Brussels, Belgium, sold to René and Odette Delenne)
    1958-2010
    René [1901-1998] and Odette [1925-2012] Delenne, Brussels, Belgium
    2010
    René and Odette Delenne, Brussels, Belgium, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2010-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Petridis, Constantine. "René and Odette Delenne." In Tribal Art XV-4, no. 61 (Autumn 2011): 123. Reproduced: fig. 9
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 53 no. 05, September/October 2013 Mentioned & reproduced: p. 12 archive.org
    Petridis, Constantine, et al. Fragments of the Invisible: The René and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art. Milan: 5 Continents Editions, 2013, cover, 26, 66, 68-75, 104. Reproduced: cover, pp.69-71, 74-75; mentioned: pp. 23, 27, 66-73, 108, 114, cat. 24, figs. 36-41
    Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 35
    "In Case You Missed It: Fragments of the Invisible." The International Review of African American Art 25, no. 1 (2014): p. 10-11. Reproduced: p. 11.
    Neyt, Francois. Songye: The Formidable Statuary of Central Africa. Munich/Berlin/London/New York: Prestel Verlag, 2009, 172-173, 290. Reproduced: pp. 172-173, no. 133, p. 290, detail; mentioned: pp. 326, 388
    Nzewi, Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Second Careers : Two Tributaries in African Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2019 Reproduced: Cover, left (detail); p. 4; p. 59, fig. 5; mentioned: p. 22, 26, 29. ingallslibrary.on.worldcat.org
    Nzewi, Ugochukwu-Smooth, "Second Careers: Repurposed objects reflect the conceptual strategies connecting historical and contemporary African art.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 60, no. 4 (Fall 2020): 8-9. Reproduced and Mentioned: P. 8.
  • Second Careers: Two Tributaries in African Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 1, 2020-March 14, 2021).
    Fragments of the Invisible: The Rene and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 27, 2013-February 9, 2014).
  • {{cite web|title=Male Figure (nkishi)|url=false|author=|year=late 1800s–early 1900s|access-date=23 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2010.451