Tribal Art

This is a desecrated two-headed dog sculpture, the center of which carried a "bishimba" magic charge. The Kongo use this type of nkisi object to try to resolve a difficulty and to intimidate or repel the person who is causing it. Among the Kongo, the dog, renowned for its knowledge of the supernatural world, its flair and its vision, had the role of mediator between the living and the dead. The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembe, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo formed the Kôngo group, led by King Ntotela. Their kingdom reached its peak in the 16th century with the trade in ivory, copper and the slave trade. With the same beliefs and traditions, they produced a statuary endowed with a codified gesture in relation to their vision of the world. Desication cracks, brown satin patina.