△ Nkissi Nkonde Vili, Democratic Republic of the Congo - Lot 30

△ Nkissi Nkonde Vili, Democratic Republic of the Congo Wood with worn patina, iron nails and blades, mirror, fetish material H. 38 cm The Nkonde-Nkissi, or nail fetish, is an essential instrument in traditional Kongo medicine. By inserting metallic elements into its surface, it restores a disorder and combats witchcraft. Standing naked, the fetish proudly raises its right arm, brandishing a spear that has now disappeared. His face, with its large, painted glass eyes, is well defined, and his chief wears the customary Kongo headdress. His abdominal reliquary is apparently intact. The iron blades and nails on it seem to give it a second silhouette as a counterpoint. Provenance : - Gilbert Huguenin Collection, Auvernier - Röthlingschöfer Collection, Basel Exhibition and Publication: - Kunst der Neger, Kunsthalle, Bern, 1953, no. 124, p. 20