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Protective Figure (nkisi or nkisi nduda)
Protective Figure (nkisi or nkisi nduda)

Protective Figure (nkisi or nkisi nduda)

Datelate 19th century
Associated withAfrica
MediumWood, metal, mirror, raffia, feathers, and organic material
Dimensions14 3/4 x 7 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. (37.5 x 19.1 x 16.5 cm)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Hanes
Object number91.7
On View
Not on view
ProvenanceCreated in Mayombe region, Democractic Republic of the Congo, late 19th century (before 1903); Purchased by Robert Visser, a German trader, from an unnamed Belgian officer; Donated to Linden Museum Collection, Stuttgart, Germany (032388), 1903; Deaccessioned from Linden Museum, 1969; Posted by Exchange to L. Bretschneider (ethnographic dealer), Munich, 1969; Matthias Komor, dealer, March 27, 1980; Purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Hanes; Donated to the North Carolina Museum of Art, 1991.
Published ReferencesJürgen Zwernemann, “Spiegel-und Nagelplastiken vom unteren Kongo im Linden Museum,” Tribus Veröffentlichunger des Linden-Museums, no. 10 (September 1961), 27, no. 32 388.

Steven Litt, "Art museum buys two works; donors give five more," The News and Observer, Raleigh, NC (Thursday, January 10, 1991), 4B.

North Carolina Museum of Art Preview (Winter 1991-92), illus. (b-w) 39.

Gazette des Beaux-Arts no. 1478 (March 1992), 112.

Introduction to the Collections, rev. ed. (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 1992), illus. (b-w) 51.

Rebecca Martin Nagy, entry for Oath-Taking and Healing Image (Nkisi N'Kondi), in North Carolina Museum of Art: Handbook of the Collections, Rebecca Martin Nagy, ed. (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 1998), 60, illus. (color).

Rebecca Martin Nagy, entry for Oath-Taking and Healing Figure (Nkisi N'kondi), in North Carolina Museum of Art: Handbook of the Collections, rev. ed. (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 2010), 126, illus. (color) 127.
Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, “Art for the People: Recent Museum Acquisitions,” September 14, 1997-January 4, 1998. (Closing date extended to January 25, 1998)

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, “Reflections on Light: Works from the NCMA Collection,” September 9, 2020–August 15, 2021.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," October 7, 2022–July 11, 2023.
Object Rights Statement

The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) makes images of its collection available online to support research and scholarship and to inform and educate the public. Certain works of art, as well as the photographs of those works of art, may be protected by copyright, trademark, or related interests not owned by the NCMA. The responsibility for ascertaining whether any such rights exist and for obtaining all other necessary permissions remains with the applicant. To request images and/or permissions from the NCMA, please complete our online request form.

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