cma-african-art: Half-Figure, late 1800s-early 1900s, Cleveland Museum of Art: African ArtThe substa
cma-african-art: Half-Figure, late 1800s-early 1900s, Cleveland Museum of Art: African ArtThe substances contained in its cloth-covered cranial cavity indicate that this half-figure belongs to the broad category of charms or “power objects” that the Luba call mankishi. It was used by a ritual expert and functioned in a variety of rituals dealing with healing, protection, divination, or jurisdiction. Often such power figures were carved by the ritual experts rather than by professional artists.Size: Overall: 22.4 x 10.7 x 12.4 cm (8 13/16 x 4 3/16 x 4 7/8 in.)Medium: wood, cloth, beadshttps://clevelandart.org/art/1974.212 -- source link