id:			147854
accession number:	1974.212
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1974.212
updated:		2023-04-23 11:15:57.163000

Figure (Nkishi), late 1800s-early 1900s. Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Luba-style maker. Wood, organic materials (including resin and soil), plant fiber, and glass beads; overall: 22.4 x 10.7 x 12.4 cm (8 13/16 x 4 3/16 x 4 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alvin N. Haas 1974.212

title:				Figure (Nkishi)
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			late 1800s-early 1900s
creation date earliest:		1880
creation date latest:		1820
current location:		108A Sub-Saharan
creditline:			Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alvin N. Haas
copyright:			

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culture:	Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Luba-style maker
technique:	Wood, organic materials (including resin and soil), plant fiber, and glass beads
department:	African Art
collection:	African Art
type:		Sculpture
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Overall: 22.4 x 10.7 x 12.4 cm (8 13/16 x 4 3/16 x 4 7/8 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		Year in Review: 1974
	opening date:   1975-03-11T04:00:00
	<i>Year in Review: 1974</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 11-April 6, 1975).

	title:		Art and Power in the Central African Savanna
	opening date:   2008-09-18T00:00:00
	<i>Art and Power in the Central African Savanna</i>. Menil Collection, Houston, TX (September 26, 2008-January 4, 2009); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 1-May 31, 2009).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

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PROVENANCE

	Loed van Bussel, The Hague, the Netherlands
	date: 
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	Mr. and Mrs. Alvin N. Haas, Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
	date: ?–1974
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
	date: 1974–
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


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fun fact:


digital description:


wall description:
The substances contained in its cloth-covered cranial cavity indicate that this half-figure belongs to the broad category of charms or “power objects” that the Luba call <em>mankishi</em>. It was used by a ritual expert and functioned in a variety of rituals dealing with healing, protection, divination, or jurisdiction. Often such power figures were carved by the ritual experts rather than by professional artists.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	Lee, Sherman E. "The Year in Review for 1974." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 62, no. 3 (1975): 62-102.
	page number: 	p. 97, cat. no. 16, repr. p. 96
	url:		http://www.jstor.org/stable/25152580

	Petridis, Constantijn. <em>South of the Sahara: selected works of African art. </em>Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2003.
	page number: 	Reproduced: cat. 33, p. 96 - 97
	url:		

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1974.212/1974.212_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1974.212/1974.212_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1974.212/1974.212_full.tif