The Hood Museum of Art recently acquired an important addition for its collection of African art with the purchase of a power figure from the former Kongo Empire of Central Africa, now the Republic of Zaire.
The nineteenth-century figure is carved from wood and has mixed media attached. Its oversized head emphasizes the African belief that the head is the seat of reason, intellect and emotion.
This new acquisition is on display in conjunction with the exhibition "Correspondences: African Sculpture at the Hood Museum of Art."
"Minkisi" -- the Kikongo term for a power figure -- embodies the ideals of justice, morality and physical health. A wealth of invisible forces are thought to reside in the power figure.
It is believed that both life-giving and life-enriching powers reside in the body of the wooden sculpture. But the carved body is also believed to possess punishing, debilitating capabilities.
The mixed media additions to the wooden form possess specific forces, according to Kongo tradition.
A ritual expert who possesses psychic, social and medicinal skills can call these forces to action or allay their effects, according to beliefs.
The energy emanated from a power figure is thought to detect guilt or prove innocence, as well as maintain social order in the Kongo society. The power figure also serves as the official recorder of all legal proceedings.
The nails and blades, as thick as the spines on a porcupine back, indicate that this particular power figure was used a source of retribution and punishment. A nail was pounded into the wooden flesh of the figure to enrage it and urge it to seek revenge against the assailing party.
The medicine packs attached to the abdomen and head of the figure denote that the power figure had great influence in the community.
The whites of the eyes, according to the exhibition label, link the figure to the spirits of the dead and their healing abilities. The clear pupils can also connote clairvoyance. The red pupils and crimson fabric used for the tongue indicate danger.
Even the stance of the power figure indicates that this figure wields great power. One hand is planted firmly on the hip, while the other is held up in a combative gesture that used to hold a spear or knife that is now lost.
According to the Hood Museum of Art, "Power figures ... restate the central human presence in this complex of ideas about right and wrong, social harmony and transgression, while also recognizing the need and benefit of other forces accessible to humans in symbolic form."
The figure journeys to the Hood collection from the Swiss collector Han Coray, who gained ownership of the figure around the time of World War II.
It is believed that the figure came directly from Africa into Coray's collection before twentieth-century colonization of Africa destroyed many examples of African artwork.
In addition to the power figure, other pieces of African artwork add to the depth of this exhibition that showcases the Hood Museum's surprising collection of non-Western art. In addition, nearly 100 pieces lent to the Hood by the Harry A. Franklin Family Collection, Los Angeles are on display.
The exhibition title, "Correspondences," refers to the central theme of the show -- to demonstrate that visual works are a form of symbolic communication that build their meaning and significance through repetition over time.
The arrangement of pieces within the exhibition draws connections between objects that may come from different regions of Africa or disparate time periods.
This juxtaposition of images attempts to correlate artifacts and cultures that may not be related at first glance.
Other pieces on display include an initiation society mask from the Mende people in Sierra Leone that was used to introduce girls to the strong female associations which place Mende women in high civic positions.
Horizontal masks made in the image of antelopes, bovines and baboons are also part of the exhibition.
Warriors' Association Masks from the Widekum people of Cameroon, as well as masks covered with animal skins from the Western Grassfields people, round out the exhibition.
"Correspondences: African Sculpture at the Hood Museum of Art" is currently on display through March 2, 1997, in the Friends and Cheatham Galleries.
