Power figure (nkisi)
Unknown Artist
late 1800s-early 1900s
Medium
Wood, organic materials (including resin), probably kaolin, and metalized glass
Dimensions
{"overall":{"height":0.17,"width":0.07,"depth":0.065}}
Classification
Sculpture
Department
African Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Accession Number
2010.438
About this artwork
This figure is of the nduda 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.