Photo: Mask Kongo peoples; Yombe group, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, or Cabinda, Angola, 19th–early 20th century Wood, pigment H. 117⁄8 in. (30 cm), W. 63⁄4 in. (17.1 cm), D. 51⁄2 in. (14 cm) Steven Kossak, The Kronos Collections, New York Photo: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Nearly a decade before Christopher Columbus set foot in the New World, the Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão disembarked along the coast of modern day Angola, scouting possible locations for trade. Cão commemorated his arrival in 1483, as an emissary for King Joặo II of Portugal, marking the site with a seven limestone columns that had been carved in Lisbon. The sole remaining column marks visitors’ entry into “Kongo: Power and Majesty,” a landmark exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, now through January 3, 2016.
Featuring 146 works drawn from more than 50 institutional and private collections across Europe and the United States, “Kongo: Power and Majesty” traces the relationship between Central Africa and Europeans, from the 15th through 20th centuries. Using works drawn from royal collections, Kongo masterpieces illustrate a critical chapter of Central African history that precedes colonialism by some 400 years, revealing the exceptional complexity of the native artistry of what is today northern Republic of the Congo, Angola, and southern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Power Figure (Nkisi N’Kondi: Mangaaka) Kongo peoples; Yombe group, Chiloango River region, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, or Cabinda, Angola, 19th century, inventoried 1906 Wood, iron, resin, cowrie shell, animal hide and hair (tail of colobus monkey?), ceramic, plant fiber, pigment H. 413⁄4 in. (106 cm), W. 173⁄4 in. (45 cm), D. 173⁄8 in. (44 cm) Wereldmuseum, Rotterdam Photo: © Wereldmuseum, Rotterdam, photograph by Studio R. Asselberghs / Frederic Dehaen, Brussels
By the time the Portuguese had arrived, the Kongo was a network of separate states ruled by kings in courts similar to those of Europe. The initial encounters were seen as auspicious, as the Kongo elite embraced Christianity and literacy from the earliest moment of contact. The exhibition includes 16th- and 17th-century missives from Kongo sovereigns to their European counterparts, making it one of the best documented pre-colonial African states.
The developing relationship between African and Europe becomes more evident when reflecting on the provenance of the works selected for the exhibition. Also included from that era are ivories inscribed with delicate geometric designs, and woven raffia fiber textiles adorned with related abstract motifs, believed to have entered the Medici collections under Giovanni de’ Medici (1475–1521) (Pope Leo X), sent by Kongo leaders as diplomatic gifts.
Master of the Boma-Vonde Region, Power Figure: Seated Female Nursing Child (Nkisi) Kongo peoples; Yombe group, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, or Cabinda, Angola, 19th–early 20th century Wood, metal, kaolin, glass H. 111⁄8 in. (28.3 cm), W. 41⁄4 in. (10.8 cm), D. 41⁄4 in. (10.8 cm) Steven Kossak, The Kronos Collections, New York Photo: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
We also witness the relationship between religion and art, as the Kongo sovereign Nzinga a Nkuwu called for the destruction of all local idols, or minkisi, in his kingdom following his adoption of Christianity in 1491. Kongo art is primarily associated with the intense energy of these sculptures, which depicted male subjects riven with hardware, which were chiefly attributes of power. The prohibition did not erase them from existence.
During the second half of the 19th century, an unprecedented array of minkisi were developed along the coast in response to incursions by colonial traders into the interior. Mangaaka, the undisputed “king and master”, was the personification of an abstract force charged with the arbitration of trade disputes. Mangaaka’s power was held to obliterate those who defy authority and the rule of law. Its displeasure was manifested through chest ailments and spitting blood. Slightly under life-size, the carving of Mangaaka’s figurative container required the talents and experience of a master sculptor. The exhibition will provide an unprecedented opportunity to view 15 of them together.
Master of Kasadi, Figure: Seated Female Supporting Figure with Clasped Hands Kongo peoples; Yombe group, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, or Cabinda, Angola, 19th century, inventoried 1898 Wood, metal, glass, kaolin, pigment H. 107⁄8 in. (27.5 cm), W. 41⁄2 in. (11.4 cm), D. 45⁄8 in. (11.7 cm) Ross Art Management, LLC, New York Photo: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
“Kongo: Power and Majesty” reminds us that history is constructed like a jigsaw puzzle, using a vast swath of artifacts in an attempt to recreate the path from past to present. History, in as much as it is a record of the past, is not only written, but preserved, by the victor. The history we know is but one of many versions that can be told, depending on who is speaking and what story there is to be told.
“Kongo: Power and Majesty,” is running at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, now through January 3, 2016.
Miss Rosen is a New York-based writer, curator, and brand strategist. There is nothing she adores so much as photography and books. A small part of her wishes she had a proper library, like in the game of Clue. Then she could blaze and write soliloquies to her in and out of print loves.
