unknown Yaka
Yaka Primary
Koshi (Power Figure)
19th century - 20th century
Carved wood
8.268 x 2.756 x 2 9/16 in. (21 x 7 x 6.5 cm)
Bryn Mawr College
Accession Number:
99.3.115
Other Number(s):
95 (216) (Neufeld Collection Number)
216 (Sotheby's Lot Number)
Geography:
Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Classification:
Ceremonial and Performance Artifacts; Ritual Objects
Culture/Nationality:
Yaka, Congolese, Central African, African
Collection:
Neufeld Collection
Keywords
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This object has the following keywords:
African*,
carvings*,
Central African*,
ceremonial objects*,
Congolese*,
fetishes*,
male*,
minkisi*,
Mkako*,
ritual objects*,
wood*
- African - Refers to the cultures of the continent of Africa, which is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea.
- carvings - Refers to works executed by cutting a figure or design out of a solid material such as stone or wood. It typically refers to works that are relatively small in size, are part of a larger work, or are not considered art. For large and medium-sized three-dimensional works of art, use the broader term "sculpture" or another appropriate term.
- Central African - Styles and cultures from a wide region of Africa that straddles the Equator and is drained largely by the Congo River system.
- ceremonial objects - Refers broadly to articles associated with or used in the context of a ceremony, which includes formal acts conducted elaborately, solemnly, and as prescribed by the ritual or protocol of religious, state, court, social, or tribal procedure.
- Congolese - Nationality, styles, and cultures of the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- fetishes - Objects believed to be enchanted, or have magical power to aid or protect its owner.
- male - Referring to the sex that in reproduction normally produces sperm cells or male gametes.
- minkisi - Sculpture used to contain potent medicines that are associated with spiritual or healing power, often taking the form of carved wooden figures or assemblages of objects, such as bundles, shells, pots, and amulets. Originating in the Congo region of Africa, their use in divination, protection, and healing rites has been carried to Cuba, Haiti, Brazil, and the American South.
- Mkako - Refers to works produced by the African ethnic group of the same name, inhabiting southeastern Cameroon.
- ritual objects - Objects used for a particular ritual activity, often as part of a ceremony.
- wood - The principal tissue of trees and other plants that provides both strength and a means of conducting nutrients. Wood is one of the most versatile materials known.
Additional Images
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-
Owner Name: Mace Neufeld and Helen Katz Neufeld, Class of 1953
Role: Donor
Place: Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, US
Ownership End Date: 12/17/1997
-
Owner Name: Comte Simon Marie Eugène du Chastel de la Howarderie (1926-2014)
Place: Brussels, Belgium
Ownership End Date: Before 1989
Remarks: Comte Simon Marie Eugène du Chastel de la Howarderie (1926-2014), Brussels, Belgium.
Bibliography List
The following Bibliography exist for this object:
-
Important Tribal Art
Sotheby's .
New York, NY, 1989
Figure Number: 216 - "African Heritage Document and Research Center." (Accessed June 11, 2020): AHDRC.eu. Record No.: 0016016.
Comparanda List
The following Comparanda exist for this object:
-
"National Museum of African Art Online Database."
(Accessed April 12, 2020):
Smithsonian,
https://africa.si.edu/collections/collections.
Accession No.: 73-7-369.
-
"Fowler Museum at UCLA Online Collections."
(Accessed April 7, 2020):
https://www.fowler.ucla.edu/collections/home/.
Accession No.: X86.1947.
- Kenneth Lee Adelman, "The Art of the Yaka." African Arts 9, no. 1 (October 1975): 43.
-
"African Heritage Document and Research Center."
(Accessed June 11, 2020):
AHDRC.eu.
Record No.: 0016016.
Related Bibliography List
The following Related Bibliography exist for this object:
- "National Museum of African Art Online Database." (Accessed April 12, 2020): Smithsonian, https://africa.si.edu/collections/collections. Accession No.: 73-7-369.
- "Fowler Museum at UCLA Online Collections." (Accessed April 7, 2020): https://www.fowler.ucla.edu/collections/home/. Accession No.: X86.1947.
- Kenneth Lee Adelman, "The Art of the Yaka." African Arts 9, no. 1 (October 1975): 43.
- Monica Blackmun Visona and Robin Poynor. A History of Art in Africa (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc., 2001), 372.
Portfolio List
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