Material: wood

Size: 19.5 x 7.5 x 8.5 in.

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First, take a minute or two to look closely at the images above. Write down your reaction to this object--what details do you notice? Why did you pick this object for your response paper? Make notes on things that you notice about it. Also, write down any questions you have about it--what kinds of things would you want to know about this object? Remember the questions we ask in class. You don't need to have answers for these questions yet, but keep them in your notes.

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Once you have some questions written down, try to answer them by reading the information I've provided below about this object and its context.​

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What do we know about this object?​

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This sculpture depicts a King of the Kuba people named Mishe miShyaang maMbul, who ruled during the 18th century in the Kongo area of Africa. He was celebrated throughout his kingdom for his generosity and for the great number of his loyal subjects. He was even the recipient of his own praise song. At the height of his reign, he commissioned an idealized portrait-statue called an ndop. The oral histories of these famous kings were told and retold, and later written down by Europeans, which is why they have been preserved today.

 

In the Kongo culture, as with many African cultures, oral narrative was the primary method for collective and personal histories to be passed down from one generation to the next. As these spoken histories were passed down, they were changed and adapted to reflect their times. Sculptures like this one served as important historical markers within their communities. The ndop sculptural record helps freeze a moment in time that would otherwise be transformed during its transmission from generation to generation.

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Ndop sculpture have rounded contours creating forms that define the head, shoulders and stomach, and also feature a defined collarbone. While the relative naturalism may appear to have been informed by an artist’s one-to-one observation of the king, ndop sculptures aren’t exact likenesses; they are not actually created from direct observation. Instead, cultural conventions and visual precedents guide the artists in making the sculpture. The expression on the face, the position of the body, and the regalia were meant to faithfully represent the ideal of a king—but not an individual King. For example, the facial features of each statue follow sculpting conventions and do not represent features of a specific individual. All figures are sculpted using a one-to-three proportion—the head of the statue was sculpted to be one third the size of the total statue. Kuba artists emphasized the head because it was considered to be the seat of intelligence, a valued ideal.

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How are we able to identify each ndop, then? There are specific attributes that link each ndop to named individuals. All ndop sculpture would feature a geometric motif and an emblem (ibol),  chosen by the king when he was installed as a leader and commissioned his ndop. The  geometric motif pattern and the ibol served as identifying symbols of his reign and was sculpted in prominent relief on the front of each base. The ibol is a signifier that gives the ndop its particular identity, making it clear who the sculpture portrays and what reign it represents. A drum with a severed hand is the ibol for Mishe miShyaang maMbul’s reign, and that helps us identify the sculpture as his likeness.

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Other styles or conventions that were followed by sculptors of ndop can be found in royal regalia such as belts, armbands, bracelets, shoulder ornaments, and a unique projecting headdress, called a shody. The arms of each ndop extend vertically at either side of the torso, with the left hand grasping the handle of a ceremonial knife (ikul) and the right hand resting on the knee. His belt and armbands are decorated with the images of small circular shells called cowrie shells, which were imported from Asia. In some African cultures cowrie shells were used as currency, and in general the shells are symbols of wealth in many African cultures.

 

Historically, Kuba artists were professional woodcarvers, blacksmiths, and weavers who worked exclusively for the king. Kuba artists learned their art by becoming apprentices to others who were well-known and accomplished in their community. Similar to art traditions in other world cultures, the apprentices imitated or copied early pieces from their teachers until they were skilled enough to develop their own designs. Although the names of individual artists were not written down—and are not known to us today—artists were sought after by name and were important  to the Kuba royal court and beyond.

 

This sculpture is now in the Brooklyn Museum. It was collected by a white colonial minister in the Congo in 1909; at the time, the Congo was a colony of Belgium. The Brooklyn Museum purchased the sculpture in 1961. In fact, just last week Belgium formally apologized to the Congo for its treatment of mixed-race families during the colonial period, especially taking children away to be raised in Catholic boarding schools and eventually adopted by white Belgian families. If you're interested, click here for an article about the apology.

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Some things to consider in your response paper:​

• What was your response to this object? What drew your eye? What do you like about it, or dislike? You are encouraged to use first person (I/me) in your response paper. I want to know what you think.

• Consider the artistic details of this object carefully. What kinds of decisions did the artist make when they were creating this piece, and why? Use your art terminology. How is the artist using things like line, texture, or proportion to highlight important parts of this sculpture?

• Place this object into its historical and cultural context. What did the different elements of this sculpture mean in Kuba society? How do the different parts of this sculpture memorialize the Kuba king and ensure that he will be remembered?

• Think about how we memorialize leaders in our modern society. How is it similar to or different from the ways that the Kuba people commemorated their revered leaders?