GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Instead of a medicine-filled horn projecting from the top of its head, this nkisi—or power figure—displays an iron blade, the significance of which is not precisely known. It may be a reference to blacksmiths, culture heroes who are believed to have mystical knowledge and who carved such objects. Cavities are filled with consecrated substances and sealed with "brass" studs. This nkisi is uniquely decorated with human teeth, which may be a reference to white, a color associated with the land of the dead and healing.
Drawn from
- Dr. Roslyn A. Walker, Label text, Arts of Africa, 2015.
- Roslyn Walker, The Arts of Africa at the Dallas Museum of Art (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2009), 164-165.
NOTES
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
n.d.: Clark and Frances Stillman Collection, Dallas, Texas/New York
1969: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, gift of Eugene and Margaret McDermott [1]
[1] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1969.S.179
Category
rules_operator
AND
General Description
Instead of a medicine-filled horn projecting from the top of its head, this nkisi—or power figure—displays an iron blade, the significance of which is not precisely known. It may be a reference to blacksmiths, culture heroes who are believed to have mystical knowledge and who carved such objects. Cavities are filled with consecrated substances and sealed with "brass" studs. This nkisi is uniquely decorated with human teeth, which may be a reference to white, a color associated with the land of the dead and healing.
Drawn from
- Dr. Roslyn A. Walker, Label text, Arts of Africa, 2015.
- Roslyn Walker, The Arts of Africa at the Dallas Museum of Art (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2009), 164-165.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
n.d.: Clark and Frances Stillman Collection, Dallas, Texas/New York
1969: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, gift of Eugene and Margaret McDermott [1]
[1] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1969.S.179
source file
object_notes_4_a-0353.xml.nores