AFRICAN TRIBAL KONGO BAKONGO BRONZE CROSS CRUCIFIX CONGO EX BOYLSTON COLLECTION

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AFRICAN TRIBAL KONGO BAKONGO BRONZE CROSS CRUCIFIX CONGO EX BOYLSTON COLLECTION:
$995.00

A Magnificent and Rare Kongo Bronze Crucifix - Democratic Republic of Congo
ca. 16th - Early 20th Century, Original
Bronze, patina
Height 23.8cm ( 9.3in) Property from a Private Boylston, PA Collection
Exhibited at our local university museum: Art & Identity: Selected Works From Western & Central Africa, January 11 - March 18, 2016 (Accession No. 14.5.1) The Kongo peoples migrated into their current location during the 13th century from the northeast under the leadership of Wene. In 1482 the Portuguese arrived on the coast, and the Kongo began diplomatic relations which included sending Kongo nobles to visit the royal assemblage in Portugal in 1485. Kongo leaders were targeted for conversion by Christian missionaries, and often divisions between followers of Christianity and followers of the traditional religions resulted. In 1526 the Portuguese were expelled, but the Kongo peoples were then invaded by the Jagas in 1568, and the Kongo were forced to look to the Portuguese for help. The Kongo kingdom never regained its former power. In the ensuing years the Kongo alternatively fought for and against the Portuguese, eventually being colonized in 1885. The Kongo political party Abako played an important part in national independence in 1960. Nzambi was the supreme god for all in the Kongo Kingdom, and the intermediary representations included land and sky spirits and ancestor spirits, all of whom were represented in nkisi objects. When an individual encountered hardship and feared that a spirit had been offended, it would be necessary to consult a nganga (diviner), who would often instruct the afflicted to add medicines to certain nkisi in order to achieve well-being. Although the Portuguese attempted to Christianize the Kongo peoples as early as 1485, for the most part people either resisted entirely or incorporated Christian iconography into their own religions. This remarkable bronze crucifix exhibits a traditional Kongo casting style and was formerly of a Private Boylston, PA Collection. Based on European prototypes, early Kongo renditions of this subject depict Christ with naturalistically modeled arms, legs, and torso that emphasize musculature whereas later examples of this style suggest a more profound assimilation of the cross with local idioms. These works often feature Christ\'s facial features and hair to be that of a Kongolese subject. The large eyes are a common motif in Kongo art, represent the supernatural vision of a human who is possessed by an ancestor or deity. Below Christ and above his shoulders are three small, highly stylized orant (praying figures) whose role and identities are thought to be mourners, ancestors, angels, saints or even apostles. Considered an emblem of spiritual authority and power, the Christian cross was integrated into Kongo ancestral cults and burial rituals, and was believed to contain magical protective properties that could intervene in matters ranging from illness and fertility to rainfall. The present crucifix is in great condition and displays a fine aged patina. Appropriate of age, origin and medium.Reference Crucifix, Kongo peoples, Democratic Republic of Congo, 16-19th century, The Alan Stone Collection, 2016 Bruneaf Exhibition, Brussels for a near identical example, Christie’s sale Catalog, African, Oceanic and Pre-Colombian Art, Sale 5094, January 8, 2004, Paris, Lot 201 (SOLD $7,054 USD) and Christian Imagery in African Art: The Britt Family Collection, Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame, 1980, p 5 for similar examples. See last three photos or review on theChristie’s sale website, Bruneaf website or in the noted exhibition catalog.
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