Nkisi N’konde Kongo Lot n° 27

D.R. Congo Wood, textile, mirror, glass, metal, hedgehog's quills, and resin 42,5 cm Provenance: Colonial collection, Belgium Jacques de Prince, Brussels (until 1983) Jacques Hautelet (1931-2014), La Jolla, California Michael Berger, New Jersey Bill and Ann Ziff collection, New York Sale Binoche et Giquello, Paris, "Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie", 14 December 2018, lot 14 Private collection, Belgium Power figure with a mirror cover for the power charge in the abdominal cavity with a rich, crusty patina of use. Nkisi N’konde were the fruit of a close collaboration between a sculptor and nganga or healer, the latter imbuing the effigy with magical charges and power. The uplifted head of the sculpture refers to the clairvoyant powers of the nganga when in trance and entering into the otherworldly realm where answers to the origins of problems can be found.