H x W x D: 44.2 x 10 x 10 cm (17 3/8 x 3 15/16 x 3 15/16 in.)
Type:
Sculpture
Geography:
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Date:
Mid 20th century
Label Text:
This type of slit gong was struck with a wood rod that would be tied with a cord around the neck. It was used by a diviner or ritual specialist (nganga) to accompany his or her chants, and also served as a mixing bowl for medicines and when laid down could be used as a stool. The divination ceremonies were concerned with powerful curses and other community problems.
The projecting human head represents the diviner. The closed eyes suggest a special inner spiritual vision.
Description:
Wood slit gong with a depiction of a human head at the end and traces of grey and white in the interior.
Provenance:
Samuel Jennings Hamrick, Republic of the Congo, late 1960s to 2008
Exhibition History:
Conversations: African and African American Artworks in Dialogue - From the Collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and Camille O. and William H. Cosby, Jr., National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, November 7, 2014-January 24, 2016
Published References:
Kreamer, Christine Mullen and Adrienne L. Childs (eds). 2014. Conversations: African and African American Artworks in Dialogue from the Collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and Camille O. and William H. Cosby, Jr. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, p. 233, pl. 125.
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