Kongo Wood Fetish Figure

A small pane of glass is set into the belly, and pale inset eyes look out above it.

This fetish figure is from the Kongo peoples of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and is wood and glass. Among Kongo peoples, figures of this kind, often called nkisi, are generally understood to hold medicinal substances, frequently sealed behind glass or mirror at the belly. The figure stands straight-legged on a square base, arms held back at its sides. A long neck carries a heavy-lidded face with a downturned mouth and a raised crest pierced at the top. The wood has a warm, worn brown surface. It is 2.75 inches wide, 5 deep and 9.5 high.

Small, upright and entirely sure of itself.