Until the 19th century, the Vili belonged to the large Congo kingdom on the lower Congo River. Then many tribes of this Congo cluster became independent. Today, the Vili live on a coastal strip on the Atlantic, from southern Gabon down to Point-Noire (Cabinda) in the south. Due to their former affiliation, even today the artistic styles of the Vili, the Yombe, their eastern neighbours, the Congo (or Bacongo), the Woyo and a few other tribes are difficult to differentiate from each other. The present ‘nkisi’ power figure’ originates most likely from the Vili. In favour of this is its cap with the projection above, the form of its ears and a few other features. It is carved of hard, light-coloured wood, black-dyed, stands on a rounded plinth and shows a physical pose slightly bending forwards. The eyes are inserts of oval cut pieces of mirror. In the narrow, serious and ‘nobly’ formed face sits a short, broad nose, and the eyebrows, mouth and chin are accentuated.
The body of this ‘nkisi’ is stuck full of ‘magic material’: with large, locally-forged iron nails, with a sharp-edged, old, also locally-forged iron plate, as well as with many thin, imported iron nails, all of which were hammered into the figure by the local priest, the ‘nganga’. This is reminiscent of the great ‘nkondi’ of the Vili, which were earlier called ‘nail fetishes’. The ‘nganga’ has thick, round bands wrapped around the nails, probably filled with additional ‘magic substances’ (special clay, plant remains, animal hair, etc.). From the neck to the forearms.
On its back the ‘nkisi’ carries a woven bag of rattan strips, equally filled with ‘magic material’, as is the small calabash gourd, which is bound to both feet of the figure at the front. Once the priest (‘nganga’) had ‘charged up’ the power figure with such material, he made it ‘effective’ by carrying out special rituals. Thenceforth, the ‘nkisi’ would protect its owner and his family from illness, witchcraft, theft and all misfortune. Overall an old and very interesting object, also from a cultural-historical point of view. With only minimal age damage: a crack to the plinth on the front, a minor crack at the head on the left, and small cracks on the right upper arm, through the hammering in of the nails. Small breaks to the calabash gourd below. Otherwise only some colour scuffing due to age on exposed areas (mouth, ears, brows, left upper arm and leg), as well as a fine shiny patina on the fabric bands and on the exposed wooden parts of this ‘nkisi’ power figure.
Height: c. 29.5 cm; width: c. 11 cm. First half to mid-20th century. (ME)

Provenance: Austrian private collection.

Lit.: ‘Die Kunst des schwarzen Afrika’ by Kerchache, Paudrat, Stephan, ill. 600, 605; ‘African Art in American Collections’ by Robbins & Nooter, ill. 928, 929, 930; ‘100 Peoples of Zaire and their Sculpture’ by Marc l. Felix, p. 187, ill. 6, 7, 8.