Skip to main content
Items Similar to Statue Songye, Kneeling Male Figure, Democratic Republic of Congo
African Congo Songye Carved Wood Fetish Figure, 20th Century Art
African Congo Songye Carved Wood Fetish Figure, 20th Century Art
African Gabon 20th Century Carved Wood Ambete Reliquary Figure
African Gabon 20th Century Carved Wood Ambete Reliquary Figure
Important Statue Of The Yaka Tribe, Dr Congo, early 1900
Important Statue Of The Yaka Tribe, Dr Congo, early 1900
Ancient Stone Statue, West Africa possibly Sierra Leone
Ancient Stone Statue, West Africa possibly Sierra Leone
Traditional sculpture originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo
Traditional sculpture originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo
Unknown - Mambila Tadep Male Guardian Figure with metal Pegs contouring face and body
Mambila Tadep Male Guardian Figure with metal Pegs contouring face and body
Video Loading
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 22

Songye Craftsmen
Statue Songye, Kneeling Male Figure, Democratic Republic of Congo

$3,621.69
$4,485.8120% Off
£2,654.12
£3,314.1620% Off
€3,040
€3,80020% Off
CA$4,994.87
CA$6,223.0520% Off
A$5,055.19
A$6,315.2620% Off
CHF 2,898.51
CHF 3,640.6120% Off
MX$61,313.16
MX$76,466.7520% Off
NOK 33,708.46
NOK 42,256.0120% Off
SEK 34,311.96
SEK 42,707.9620% Off
DKK 23,179.60
DKK 28,975.6020% Off

About the Item

A Songye Male Power Figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the male figure resting on one knee, with openwork arms and hands resting by the abdomen which contains various charms and hand forged items, carrying on his back a bound 'hote'. Typical facial features. Fine medium and dark brown patina with encrustation. Provenance: the figure has been in the collection of a Danish Cineaste since the 1960s. Similar figures are held in The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren. Acting as a mediator between spirits and men, Songye mankishi statues were made to heal, protect, bring luck and fertility. While small ones, such as ours, were reserved for personal use, large statues were intended to protect the entire community, often for generations. The communal nkishi was placed under the protection of a guard, who was supposed to translate the messages of the nkishi under the influence of mediumistic possession. It is possible to see the talents of the sculptor and soothsayer (nganga) that are expressed in the creation of the statue. The latter makes the magical components (bishimba) placed here, in the stomach area and at the top of the head. The effectiveness of these medicines will determine the value and power of nkishi. Covering the statue with palm oil ointment and filling the head with a wide variety of materials charged the statue and gave it all its magical power. The skin of our sculpture is now drowned under layers of oil, witness of prolonged use over several generations. The perfection of the geometric composition and the sensitivity of the models are translated here by the hand of a very great sculptor. Reserved for the personal use of an individual or a family, this Nkisi statuette was intended to heal, protect, bring luck and / or fertility. The strength of the sculpture characterizing the style of the workshops of Bena-Sapo (Luebo region) is accentuated by the magico-religious additions recalling its role as mediator between men and spirits. THE CHARMS OF GOOD FORTUNE by Bernard Dulon Among the many bwanga or fetishes once used by the nganga (clairvoyants, traditional spiritual healers) of the Songye people, there is a specific type that earned a place of choice for itself among the icons of Central African art: mankishi (singular: nkishi). They are anthropomorphic statues to which bishimba, or magically significant ingredients, were ritually attached: generally inserted into the navel or top of the head. Mankishi can be divided into two categories: personal mankishi and community mankishi. The examples from the second category, including the one from the Périnet collection, are characteristically large. They were not statues of ancestors, strictly speaking, but rather intermediaries between living people and the most venerable among the deceased: honourable chiefs and prestigious notables. They also played an important role in the group’s fertility and the reincarnation of beneficial spirits, protection and healing, resistance to evil witchcraft, and success in combat. Community mankishi were crafted by a sculptor and made sacred by a nganga through a very special ritual observed in different locations throughout Songye country. When the statue was fully sculpted, it would be placed near a fire by night, the Nganga was the only entity authorised to remain in the village during this operation, in order to invite the spirits to come warm themselves and to foster the divination practices for the consecration of the bishimba and the transformation of the sculpture into a nkishi. The nganga believed to have the powers necessary for this activation were uncommon, and their services were very expensive. Certain mankishi, closely related to their nganga, could go into decline following the death of the healer. They would become useless and be abandoned. The community nkishi was kept in a sanctuary guarded by a nkunja, who could be an old man or an old woman. Through trances or dream visions, the nkunja received messages from the forces expressing themselves through the nkishi and passed them along to the village. During new moon ceremonies, the great nkishi was taken out, and could be placed on a chief ’s throne. It was given libations of palm oil and blood, as well as rooster meat, as offerings for the ancestors to recharge its forces. During this ceremony, those who possessed personal mankishi could bring them so that they too could benefit from the replenishment. A number of historical sources indicate that the Songye were particularly renowned for their knowledge in the art of mankishi, and that certain great examples were used by foreign populations outside of the Songye territory. The opulent nkishi of the Périnet collection stylistically belongs to the Songye-Kalebwe region. The features of its harmonious face evoke those of the most extraordinary masks of the bwadi-bwa-kifwebe fraternity. It is true that in this region, during the nocturnal replenishment ceremony of a great nkishi, these masks were also brought out, since they were thought to hold a form of beneficial magic called buci. According to certain theories, the horn or horns that appear at the top of the head or in the abdomen of a nkishi are not so much bishimba as independent bwanga which reinforce the power of the nkishi. A nkishi could be personally named after one of the important people of the past.
  • Creator:
    Songye Craftsmen (African)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 18.9 in (48 cm)Width: 4.73 in (12 cm)Depth: 7.88 in (20 cm)
  • Medium:
    Metal,Wood
  • Period:
    Mid-20th Century
  • Condition:
    Wear commensurate with age and use.
  • Gallery Location:
    Cotignac, FR
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: LG/Songue21stDibs: LU1430213108262

More From This Seller

View All
Statue Songye, Republic of Congo, Misangu Glass Beads & Chiefly Raffia Skirt

Songye CraftsmenStatue Songye, Republic of Congo, Misangu Glass Beads & Chiefly Raffia Skirt

Statue Songye, Republic of Congo, Misangu Glass Beads & Chiefly Raffia Skirt

Located in Cotignac, FR

A Songye Male Power Figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the male figure with openwork arms and hands resting on the abdomen, typical facial features and a waterbuck (kobus elli...

Category

Mid-20th Century Tribal Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Metal

Hopi Katsina Doll Sculpture, Carved Cottonwood, Mid-20th Century

Hopi TribesmenHopi Katsina Doll Sculpture, Carved Cottonwood, Mid-20th Century

Hopi Katsina Doll Sculpture, Carved Cottonwood, Mid-20th Century

Located in Cotignac, FR

A Native North American carved wood and painted effigy figure, Hopi Katsina or Kachina doll. A wonderfully playful, coloured and highly individual Hopi Katsina doll. Each doll repr...

Category

Mid-20th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Hopi Katsina Doll.

Hopi TribesmenHopi Katsina Doll.

Hopi Katsina Doll.

Located in Cotignac, FR

A Native North American carved wood and painted effigy figure, Hopi Katsina or Kachina doll. A wonderfully playful, coloured and highly individual Hopi Katsina doll. Each doll repr...

Category

Mid-20th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

African Zoomorphic Puppet Head Sculpture, Bozo Tribe, 20th Century

African Zoomorphic Puppet Head Sculpture, Bozo Tribe, 20th Century, Early 20th Century

African Zoomorphic Puppet Head Sculpture, Bozo Tribe, 20th Century

Located in Cotignac, FR

Early 20th century zoomorphic African puppet head sculpture from the Bozo tribe in Mali. This puppet head would have been used by the Bozo ethnic group during the Sogobo ceremony. This ancestral tradition continues in the region of Segou in Mali along the Niger river. It is an opportunity to regroup the different villages and give rise to musical and theatrical performances whose highlight is the puppet show...

Category

Mid-20th Century Folk Art Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Metal

Kalao Great Hornbill Ibibio Wood Sculpture, Colorful, Nigeria, 33x48cm

Ibibio peopleKalao Great Hornbill Ibibio Wood Sculpture, Colorful, Nigeria, 33x48cm

Kalao Great Hornbill Ibibio Wood Sculpture, Colorful, Nigeria, 33x48cm

Located in Cotignac, FR

Mid-Century Ibibio wood carving of a Great Hornbill or (Kalao) from Nigeria. (The carving is shown in the first photo on a bamboo stand which is available if required.) The Great Ho...

Category

Mid-20th Century Sculptures

Materials

Wood, Paint

Mid-Century Nude Male Acephale Sang de Boeuf Ceramic Sculpture with Marble Base.

Franta (Frantisek Merte)Mid-Century Nude Male Acephale Sang de Boeuf Ceramic Sculpture with Marble Base.

Mid-Century Nude Male Acephale Sang de Boeuf Ceramic Sculpture with Marble Base.

By Franta (Frantisek Merte)

Located in Cotignac, FR

French Mid 20th Century ceramic figure of a man in Sang de Boeuf, oxblood red, glaze presented on a metal 'tige' and marble base. The sculpture is not signed but was purchased from ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Expressionist Nude Sculptures

Materials

Marble

You May Also Like

"BaPende Statue - Zaire, " Carved Wood Sculpture created in Africa circa 1940

"BaPende Statue - Zaire, " Carved Wood Sculpture created in Africa circa 1940, circa 1940

"BaPende Statue - Zaire, " Carved Wood Sculpture created in Africa circa 1940

Located in Milwaukee, WI

This statue was carved by an unknown Pende artist from Zaire. It depicts a walking man with a disc-shape on his head and large eyes. 25 3/4" x 7" sculpture The Pende people are an...

Category

1940s Folk Art Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Central African Carved Wood Ritual Male Figure

Central African Carved Wood Ritual Male Figure, 20th Century

Central African Carved Wood Ritual Male Figure

Located in San Francisco, CA

This standing male figure is a traditional African power or ancestral sculpture. The bared, pointed teeth and stylized open mouth are classic indicators of power or protection, expre...

Category

20th Century Abstract Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

African sculpture of a man in wood, France, 1920

African sculpture of a man in wood, France, 1920

African sculpture of a man in wood, France, 1920

Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR

A figurative sculpture representing a stylized male figure, made of solid wood and displaying an antique dark brown to black patina, evidence of long aging. The figure is distinguish...

Category

Vintage 1920s French Tribal Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Traditional sculpture originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo

Traditional sculpture originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo

Traditional sculpture originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo

Located in Linkebeek, BE

Traditional sculpture originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo Tribal Art - Congo - African Measures : 16x17cm H:82cm Traditional sculpture from the Democratic Republic of ...

Category

Early 20th Century African Tribal Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Ancient Stone Statue, West Africa possibly Sierra Leone

Ancient Stone Statue, West Africa possibly Sierra Leone

Ancient Stone Statue, West Africa possibly Sierra Leone

Located in Leuven , BE

These sculptures are considered manifestations of their deceased ancestors and are placed in ancestor shrines.

Category

20th Century Sierra Leonean Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta

More Ways To Browse

Democratic Republic Of The Congo
Sculpture Of Male
Congo Sculptures
Metal Figural Sculpture
Metal Figure Sculpture
Male Statue
Fertility Sculptures
Statues Of Male
Male Metal Sculpture
Wood Kneelers
Songye Power Figure
Bird Botero
Bronze Angels With Hearts
Bronze Bust Churchill
Casper Darare
Cavalli Bronze Sculpture
Civil War Sculpture
Cubist Cat Sculpture
View All Popular Figurative Sculptures Searches