SONGYE NIKISHI FIGURE

Ca. 19th - early 20th century AD > A power figure carved in wood and mounted on an iron spike, embodying the protective and judicial functions central to Songye ritual practice. The figure is enhanced with a textile skirt, cord binding, and a prominent magical charge (bishimba) inserted in the abdominal cavity, symbolising its activated spiritual force. The iron spike base signifies its use in ritual planting, fixing the spirit�s power into the earth. With its expressive head, open mouth, and upright horn crowning the head, this figure manifests the ancestral and spiritual potency sought by Songye ritual specialists to safeguard the community, heal, or counter malevolent forces. > > Size: 250mm x 60mm; Weight: 470g > Provenance: Prince collection, 1990s-2014; Ex. Neumeister, 19 Nov 2012, lot 1067. > >

Estimate:£400

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