Court of the Kongo Peoples

Kongo Peoples, Power Figure (Nkisi N’Kondi) c. 1850-1900, wood, paint, metal, resin, ceramic.(image source) 

Nkisi N’Kondi were Central African transformative power figures, or magical charms, used by spiritual specialists, or ngangas, to help solve disputes and bind agreements within the community. These objects acted as important mediators as well as criminal deterrents for their earthly counterparts.


The Nkisi N’Kondi was sometimes represented as an authority figure like a king or an enforcing lord, but it could be carved into an animal as well. The figure in the above image is posed in an aggressive posture with hands on the hips donning a headdress that was worn by chiefs and priests. The remnants of a beard are a rank design exhibiting seniority. These menacing and powerful attributes are what gave the figure its authority to conduct business. (1)


The figures’ head or stomach would have been filled with medicinal herbal ingredients called bilingo. The medicine was then encased with a reflective surface representative of the spiritual realm such as a mirror or piece of glass. The Kongo peoples believed that the herbs were sacred medicines brought to earth by the Great God, Ne Kongo. These herbs known as nkisi represented the spirits and could be called upon or awoken by supernatural forces wielded by the ngana, or priest. They are what empowered the figure with spiritual authority. Different medicinal combinations were used depending on the purpose whether it be benevolent or menacing.(2)


The ngana was a ritual specialist trained in conflict mediation of the body and spirit who oversaw the creation of the nkisi nkondi. Once carved the priest would endow it with power through the chosen nkisi. The ngana would have been the person called upon when an accusation was levied against someone. These disputes were known as mambu. The Ngana would then summon the spirit by driving sharp objects into the figure, activating the spirit within. The type of object used would have alerted the spirit to the severity of the crime. Nkondi refers to the figures’ ability to hunt and if a person was accused of theft for example, then the nkondi would hunt the person down and exact its punishment. The nkisi n’kondi was also used as a way to seal important agreements and punish future violators of the agreement. (3)


Because the nkisi n’kondi belonged to the ngana it would have undergone a significant transformation over time. The number and type of objects nailed into the figure would have been a testament to the priests ability to persuade the supernatural forces to intervene in earthly affairs. It would have been a visual deterrent to those who may be thinking of committing a crime or breaking an agreement. The figure above appears to have been used by a talented ngana due to the number of nails driven into it.  


Sources

  1.“Power Figure (Nkisi N’Kondi: Mangaaka)”, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accessed February 27, 2021 https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/320053.
  2.Dr. Shawnya L. Harris and Dr. Peri Klemm, "Power Figure (Nkisi Nkondi), Kongo peoples," in Smarthistory, August 9, 2015, accessed February 27, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/nkisi-nkondi-kongo-people/.
  3.Victoria Hobbs, “The Function of a ‘Fetish’ Figure,” The Victoria and Albert Museum, accessed February 27, 2021, http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/journals/conservation-journal/issue-31/the-function-of-a-fetish-figure/.

Huang and Tosa

Attributed to Tosa Mitsunobu, Bamboo in the Four Seasons, late 15th to early 16th century, ink, color and gold leaf on paper image source

detail, Huang Gongwang, Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, 1350, handscroll, ink on paper image source 

These two paintings, while speaking to the passage of time, exhibit different styles due to their locations, and the contexts in which they would have been viewed. Huang Gongwang's handscroll was a creative outlet meant for private contemplation while Tosa Mitsunobu's panels were meant to inspire the public.  Both artists are using popular local techniques to create the illusion of passing time. 

Chinese landscape painters, like Huang, were often Daoist looking to escape daily life by communing with nature. Mountains and water were important themes to the Daoists. They relied upon brushstrokes to give emotion to the painting. The above image, Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountain, is an example of an imaginary landscape that was painted and embellished over a long period of time. The painting was a 22 foot long handscroll. This means that the viewer would have been intimately looking upon the scroll bit by bit as the painting was unwound. There is no way that the viewer could have seen the painting in its entirety. The viewer would have been on a journey through time as he/she focused on the sections flowing through the hands.(1)


Japanese painters during the Muromachi period would have followed Shintoism or Buddhism and utilized the Yamato-e painting tradition which is a term that describes something that is Japanese.(2) The above image, Bamboo in the Four Seasons, is an example of this because the subject matter, the changing seasons, is considered to be a Japanese theme. Another example of Yamato-e was the use of bright thick pigments like what was used to paint the spring flowers and autumn ivy. A person standing in a room with the five and a half foot tall painting would have been able to see the entire work. The purpose of the painting was to inspire Renga, a form of collaborative poetry that was popular at the time, and would have been viewed while the poetry was being recited. It was originally a multi-paneled wall that may have opened up to a bamboo garden.(3)


Huang was in his late seventies living as a recluse when he began his masterpiece. He used many different brush styles and techniques denoting the different moods and atmospheres. Painting was a means to convey his inner self which was a popular concept with Chinese painters. He painted when inspired and captured the passage of time through the use of multiple perspectives and subtle changes in textures and spacing. It was a deeply intimate painting that was not meant for public consumption.(1) The Tosa painting also captured the passage of time but through less subtle methods. For example, we know the far right panel represents spring due to the presence of violets and shepherd’s purse flowers. As the viewer moves to the left, summer, autumn, and winter follow, each containing elements that would denote the season. The elements used were part of a poetic language called Kigo that were meant to enhance the Renga recital. It is important to note that while the use of the bamboo element was considered to be Chinese in nature, the transition of the seasons would have been Japanese.(3)


Japanese landscape painters, while influenced by the Chinese, were able to develop their own language. The passage of time may be experienced universally, but the illustration of the concept varies culturally. The different techniques used in Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountain and Bamboo in the Four Seasons highlight how two regions can offer distinct viewpoints of the same idea.



Sources


1.Yamato-e, Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System, Jaanus, accessed February 12, 2021, http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/y/yamatoe.htm.

2. Hung Sheng, “Huang Gongwang, “Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains,” Smarthistory, November 28, 2015, accessed February 14, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/huang-gongwang-dwelling-in-the-fuchun-mountains/.

3. Dr. Sonia Coman and Dr. Steven Zucker, "Bamboo in the Four Seasons: painting and poetry in Japan," Smarthistory, March 16, 2018, accessed February 14, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/tosa-mistunobu.