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adaspota.bsky.social
Paul Eluard & E.L.T. Mesens in Songye masks. Photographed by Roland Penrose for the 1937 Surrealist Exhibition in London.

#Photography #Surrealism
December 16, 2023 at 4:51 AM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Dance Mask
carved wood, pigment
Luba Songye
DRC

#mask #dancemask #lubasongye #drc #africanart #tribalart #handmade #ritual #religion #initiation #songyemask #congo #kongo
June 30, 2025 at 5:18 PM
marieartcollection.bsky.social
Arman, original lithograph, Kifwebe masks, Songye tradition, #African #masks from #Congo traditional arts, Central Africa, polychrome decor #Arman #FrenchArt

www.etsy.com/listing/1842...
June 18, 2025 at 10:30 AM
marieartcollection.bsky.social
Arman, original lithograph, Kifwebe masks, Songye tradition, African masks from Congo, traditional arts, Central Africa, polychrome decor #art #decor #home #artforsale #artists #artworks #ArtBoost #viral #lithographs #walldecor #artprints #wiseshopper
www.etsy.com/listing/1842...
February 4, 2025 at 11:12 AM
kamuka.bsky.social
Songye artist and nganga (ritual specialist) | Nkishi (community power figure) | Songye peoples | The Metropolitan Museum of Art www.metmuseum.org/art/collecti...
Songye artist and nganga (ritual specialist) | Nkishi (community power figure) | Songye peoples | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
www.metmuseum.org
July 9, 2025 at 2:48 PM
blackuub.bsky.social
bsky.app/profile/madz...
eu ai fazer a Songye mais ai pensei um ulquiorra ficaria massa
September 11, 2024 at 4:24 AM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Songye Kifwebe wood mask
wood, pigment
mid 20th century
DRC Congo, Africa

Available...

www.rubylane.com/item/1879775...

#africa #africanart #tribal #tribalart #handamde #carved #wood #pigments #songye #kifwebe #mask #africanmask #tribalmask #dance #ritual #initiation #protection #fertility #art
September 18, 2025 at 5:05 PM
marieartcollection.bsky.social
Arman, original lithograph, Kifwebe masks, Songye tradition, African masks, Congo, traditional arts, Central Africa #Africa #art #decor #home #wallartforsale #lithographs #interior #walldecor #artprints #artists #artistry #artworks #wiseshopper #masks
For sale here
www.etsy.com/listing/1842...
December 13, 2024 at 1:32 PM
aicafricanart.bsky.social
Storage Container (Mulondo) https://www.artic.edu/artworks/185684/
Writing in 1905 and 1906, the German ethnographer Leo Frobenius praised Songye pottery, attributing to it a “plainly astonishing beauty and a copious but measurable abundance of forms.” Indeed, Frobenius recorded over two hundred different types of Songye pots, many of which were variations on the tall-necked storage container. This container demonstrates the stylistic variations-on-a-theme that characterize Songye pottery: it is embellished in a characteristically robust style, with deeply incised lines that emphasize the neck and shoulders. The chain of arches around the shoulders have a bouncing spontaneity. According to Frobenius, much of this kind of embellishment is added to a pot when it is still wet, while finer details are incised after it is leather hard. The surface is overlaid with a dense, crusty coating interrupted by areas of high sheen that suggest age and use. [See also 1995.149]. Gift of Keith Achepohl
March 11, 2026 at 9:06 AM
aicafricanart.bsky.social
Storage Container (Mulondo) https://www.artic.edu/artworks/185684/
Writing in 1905 and 1906, the German ethnographer Leo Frobenius praised Songye pottery, attributing to it a “plainly astonishing beauty and a copious but measurable abundance of forms.” Indeed, Frobenius recorded over two hundred different types of Songye pots, many of which were variations on the tall-necked storage container. This container demonstrates the stylistic variations-on-a-theme that characterize Songye pottery: it is embellished in a characteristically robust style, with deeply incised lines that emphasize the neck and shoulders. The chain of arches around the shoulders have a bouncing spontaneity. According to Frobenius, much of this kind of embellishment is added to a pot when it is still wet, while finer details are incised after it is leather hard. The surface is overlaid with a dense, crusty coating interrupted by areas of high sheen that suggest age and use. [See also 1995.149]. Gift of Keith Achepohl
September 12, 2026 at 1:45 PM
aicafricanart.bsky.social
Storage Container (Mulondo) https://www.artic.edu/artworks/185684/
Writing in 1905 and 1906, the German ethnographer Leo Frobenius praised Songye pottery, attributing to it a “plainly astonishing beauty and a copious but measurable abundance of forms.” Indeed, Frobenius recorded over two hundred different types of Songye pots, many of which were variations on the tall-necked storage container. This container demonstrates the stylistic variations-on-a-theme that characterize Songye pottery: it is embellished in a characteristically robust style, with deeply incised lines that emphasize the neck and shoulders. The chain of arches around the shoulders have a bouncing spontaneity. According to Frobenius, much of this kind of embellishment is added to a pot when it is still wet, while finer details are incised after it is leather hard. The surface is overlaid with a dense, crusty coating interrupted by areas of high sheen that suggest age and use. [See also 1995.149]. Gift of Keith Achepohl
June 9, 2025 at 12:45 PM
damfino11.bsky.social
#ImaginaryMuseum

Songye peoples, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Community Power Figure: Male Nikkei, 19th–20th century

Wood, copper, brass, iron, fiber, snakeskin, leather, fur, feathers, mud, resin
H. 39 × W. 10 1/2 × D. 11 in

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
February 22, 2025 at 3:31 AM
craigrossart.bsky.social
Dong Songye
December 12, 2024 at 7:54 PM
aicafricanart.bsky.social
Storage Vessel (Mulondo) https://www.artic.edu/artworks/137131/
Writing in 1905 and 1906, the German ethnographer Leo Frobenius praised Songye pottery, attributing to it a "plainly astonishing beauty and a copious but measurable abundance of forms." Indeed Frobenius recorded over two hundred different types of Songye pots, many of which were variations on the tall-necked storage container. This container is embellished in a characteristically robust style, with deeply incised lines that emphasize the neck and shoulders. The chain of arches appear tightly controlled, as do the grooves around the neck, and the arches at mid-neck have been squared off. According to Frobenius, much of this kind of embellishment is added to a pot when it is still wet, while finer details are incised after it is leather hard. The surface is overlaid with a dense, crusty coating interrupted by areas of high sheen that suggest age and use. A dry yellow substance coats the interior base and lower walls of this container, perhaps to help make it watertight. [See also 2005.252]. African and Amerindian Art Purchase Fund
April 14, 2025 at 10:10 AM
aicafricanart.bsky.social
Standing Male Figure (Mankishi) https://www.artic.edu/artworks/5941/
A nkishi (plural mankishi) is a container for holding potent medicines, which when activated protects families, individuals, or communities from various ills. The medicines or ritual substances and offerings are typically applied through an animal horn inserted into the crown of the sculpture’s head or through a concave cavity in the stomach, as is the case here. As vehicles for controlling life forces, these power figures are perhaps the most important objects among the Songye, who live in the southeast region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The emphasis on the abdomen in these figures has been suggested to indicate their importance in aiding fertility. Roughly carved with a geometric rendering of the face and body, mankishi were commissioned in two basic types—as small, privately owned figures and as large figures for use by the community. Although they can be nonfigurative, the figurative mankishi are carved by sculptors and activated by a ritual specialist (nganga). Both the scale and the aesthetic qualities of this sculpture indicate that it was a personal nkishi. It stands at about 18 centimeters tall, about mid-range for the personal mankishi examples, the scope of which lies between four and forty centimeters. Whereas the larger community mankishi tend to be stylistically consistent, the personal ones display a variety of aesthetic approaches. This one exhibits 13 copper tacks, malengyela (singular elengyela) inserted into holes on the head and abdomen. There are other holes on the arms and legs of the figure, which most likely were once filled with the dome-shaped nails as well. The carved genitals identify this figure as male. He stands with bent legs on a small circular base. The long splayed fingers resting on the protruding abdomen, in addition to the relatively large scale of the head in proportion to the body, reflects Songye metaphysical belief. Accordingly, the most important part of a human being is the kikudi, or living spirit, which is believed to reside in either the head or the stomach of an individual (see also 1960.906). –Permanent Collection Object Description Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Wielgus
September 27, 2026 at 9:05 AM
scionofculture.bsky.social
The Nzappa zap: A Traditional Weapon From The Congo By The Songye Ethnic Group panafrocore.com/2024/06/18/t...
January 3, 2026 at 6:01 PM
aicafricanart.bsky.social
Storage Container (Mulondo) https://www.artic.edu/artworks/185684/
Writing in 1905 and 1906, the German ethnographer Leo Frobenius praised Songye pottery, attributing to it a “plainly astonishing beauty and a copious but measurable abundance of forms.” Indeed, Frobenius recorded over two hundred different types of Songye pots, many of which were variations on the tall-necked storage container. This container demonstrates the stylistic variations-on-a-theme that characterize Songye pottery: it is embellished in a characteristically robust style, with deeply incised lines that emphasize the neck and shoulders. The chain of arches around the shoulders have a bouncing spontaneity. According to Frobenius, much of this kind of embellishment is added to a pot when it is still wet, while finer details are incised after it is leather hard. The surface is overlaid with a dense, crusty coating interrupted by areas of high sheen that suggest age and use. [See also 1995.149]. Gift of Keith Achepohl
July 19, 2025 at 12:10 PM
cmaafrican.bsky.social
Male Figure https://clevelandart.org/art/2010.451
Its visual impact and workmanship suggest that this figure was used by an extended family rather than an individual. The raffia skirt around the waist and the blue and white beads are indicators of leadership. The metal appliqué covering the face and the metal blades that hedge the headgear refer to the blacksmith, a culture hero celebrated in a Songye myth narrating the formation of the state. The metal strips on the skeletal face are said to relate to lightning, signaling the figure's role as a powerful anti-sorcerer, but the contrast between white iron and red copper symbolically alludes to the ambivalent powers of the figure.
October 14, 2024 at 7:46 AM
realroxannewolf.bsky.social
These three are called a Nzappa Zap. The Nzappa Zap, also known as a Kilonda, is a battle axe originating from the Congo and used by many groups such as the Songye and Nsapo. Nzappa Zaps were used in battle, for ceremonies, as status symbols and even used as currency. #Congo #Africa #Axe #Weapon
A Nzappa Zap, possibly an example of a one intended for combat. A ceremonial Nzappa Zap. A Nzappa Zap, possibly ceremonial, but may have been intended to be used in combat.
May 24, 2025 at 12:24 AM
zamia.bsky.social
#Congo #Belgique La commémoration du roi songye Lumpungu organisée dimanche à l' #Africamuseum de Tervuren www.msn.com/fr-be/actual...
September 3, 2024 at 4:11 PM
aicafricanart.bsky.social
Storage Vessel (Mulondo) https://www.artic.edu/artworks/137131/
Writing in 1905 and 1906, the German ethnographer Leo Frobenius praised Songye pottery, attributing to it a "plainly astonishing beauty and a copious but measurable abundance of forms." Indeed Frobenius recorded over two hundred different types of Songye pots, many of which were variations on the tall-necked storage container. This container is embellished in a characteristically robust style, with deeply incised lines that emphasize the neck and shoulders. The chain of arches appear tightly controlled, as do the grooves around the neck, and the arches at mid-neck have been squared off. According to Frobenius, much of this kind of embellishment is added to a pot when it is still wet, while finer details are incised after it is leather hard. The surface is overlaid with a dense, crusty coating interrupted by areas of high sheen that suggest age and use. A dry yellow substance coats the interior base and lower walls of this container, perhaps to help make it watertight. [See also 2005.252]. African and Amerindian Art Purchase Fund
December 12, 2025 at 3:40 PM
aicafricanart.bsky.social
Storage Vessel (Mulondo) https://www.artic.edu/artworks/137131/
Writing in 1905 and 1906, the German ethnographer Leo Frobenius praised Songye pottery, attributing to it a "plainly astonishing beauty and a copious but measurable abundance of forms." Indeed Frobenius recorded over two hundred different types of Songye pots, many of which were variations on the tall-necked storage container. This container is embellished in a characteristically robust style, with deeply incised lines that emphasize the neck and shoulders. The chain of arches appear tightly controlled, as do the grooves around the neck, and the arches at mid-neck have been squared off. According to Frobenius, much of this kind of embellishment is added to a pot when it is still wet, while finer details are incised after it is leather hard. The surface is overlaid with a dense, crusty coating interrupted by areas of high sheen that suggest age and use. A dry yellow substance coats the interior base and lower walls of this container, perhaps to help make it watertight. [See also 2005.252]. African and Amerindian Art Purchase Fund
November 24, 2025 at 2:45 PM
dporjude.bsky.social
An African spiritual mask with "12 tribes" likely refers to a Songye Kifwebe mask (from the Democratic Republic of the Congo) or a Baule mask (from Ivory Coast) with 12 crests or faces representing various societal clans or ancestral roles
An African spiritual mask with "12 tribes" likely refers to a Songye Kifwebe mask (from the Democratic Republic of the Congo) or a Baule mask (from Ivory Coast) with 12 crests or faces representing various societal clans or ancestral roles
June 15, 2026 at 6:03 PM
aicafricanart.bsky.social
Standing Male Figure (Mankishi) https://www.artic.edu/artworks/12746/
The standing male figure is found throughout Songye statuary art. The mankishi (singular nkishi) served both as community guards and as private devotional objects. The community-based mankishi are generally larger in scale and relatively consistent in their stylistic qualities, whereas the personal ones are quite small—ranging between four and forty centimeters—and are aesthetically diverse. Despite such heterogeneity, there are several features that are nonetheless found in many of the personal mankishi and that are evident in the example here, including a protruding or swollen stomach on which the figure’s hands rest, a large head in relation to the body, and copper or brass nails embellishing the face and head. This nkishi is barely 16 centimeters in height, but with its powerful expression and the emphasis on the head and abdomen, it appears much larger through its visual impact. The carved genitals indicate that this is a male figure, despite the small breasts. The breasts, in addition to the swollen stomach, may suggest the relevance of these objects to fertility. Alan Merriam has suggested that the explicit carving of genitals may have indicated the desired gender of the owner’s first-born child. These personal sculptures were intimate expressions of individual hopes, anxieties, and life goals. The holes bored into the figure’s face, head, and stomach were most likely plugged with copper or brass nails or tacks, as demonstrated by other examples. The cavity in the stomach was the site for the insertion of medicinal or ritual substances. Once they are commissioned and carved, a ritual specialist called an nganga would activate the mankishi (see also 1957.289). –Permanent Collection Object Description Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Allen Wardwell
April 6, 2026 at 7:30 AM
aicafricanart.bsky.social
Caryatid Stool https://www.artic.edu/artworks/120148/
The image of a figure supporting a stool was probably introduced into Songye art in the 19th century by the neighboring Luba. This is one of a small group of stylistically similar stools featuring a muscular figure with splayed feet, flexed legs, and abstracted facial features, including a jutting chin. They likely served as symbols of rank and authority, although some could have been made for a European clientele. Major Acquisitions Centennial Endowment
September 9, 2026 at 9:06 AM