Three-Headed Figure (Sakimatwemtwe)
Arts of Africa
On View: Special Exhibitions, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor
About this Brooklyn Icon
The Brooklyn Museum is commemorating its 200th anniversary by spotlighting 200 standout objects in its encyclopedic collection.
This three-headed figure is called sakimatwemtwe, meaning “many heads.” The work would have been owned by a male member of the semi-secret Bwami society of the Lega people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This association’s teachings, which guide moral development and relationships with others, are represented through carved objects such as this wooden figure. The figure represents Kindi, a rank reserved for the highest-level initiates of the Bwami society, who are the principal visual arts patrons among the Lega people.
Deeply conceptual, the profusion of heads embodies complex and multiple meanings. This figure is the visual representation of the proverb “Many heads have seen the elephant across the large river.” The heads, therefore, represent equity, wisdom, and discernment, qualities that enable members of Kindi to see all sides of an issue and understand all things in their surroundings.
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Gallery Label
This three-headed figure would have been owned by a man who had reached Kindi-a rank reserved for the highest-level initiates of the Bwami society. who are the principal patrons of the visual arts among the Lega people. Deeply conceptual, the profusion of heads represents equity, wisdom, and discernment, qualities that enable members of Kindi to see all sides of an issue and understand all things in their surroundings.
The Brooklyn Museum is commemorating its 200th anniversary by spotlighting 200 standout objects in its encyclopedic collection.
This three-headed figure is called sakimatwemtwe, meaning “many heads.” The work would have been owned by a male member of the semi-secret Bwami society of the Lega people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This association’s teachings, which guide moral development and relationships with others, are represented through carved objects such as this wooden figure. The figure represents Kindi, a rank reserved for the highest-level initiates of the Bwami society, who are the principal visual arts patrons among the Lega people.
Deeply conceptual, the profusion of heads embodies complex and multiple meanings. This figure is the visual representation of the proverb “Many heads have seen the elephant across the large river.” The heads, therefore, represent equity, wisdom, and discernment, qualities that enable members of Kindi to see all sides of an issue and understand all things in their surroundings.
***
Gallery Label
This three-headed figure would have been owned by a man who had reached Kindi-a rank reserved for the highest-level initiates of the Bwami society. who are the principal patrons of the visual arts among the Lega people. Deeply conceptual, the profusion of heads represents equity, wisdom, and discernment, qualities that enable members of Kindi to see all sides of an issue and understand all things in their surroundings.
CULTURE
Lega
MEDIUM
Wood, fiber, kaolin
DATES
19th century
DIMENSIONS
5 1/2 x 2 x 1 1/8 in. (14 x 5.1 x 2.9 cm) (show scale)
COLLECTIONS
Arts of Africa
ACCESSION NUMBER
22.486
CREDIT LINE
Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund
PROVENANCE
Prior to 1922, provenance not yet documented; by 1922, acquired by François Poncelet of Brussels, Belgium; 1922, purchased in Brussels from François Poncelet by Stewart Culin for the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Standing figure carved from a single piece of fine-grained wood with one large central head on an elongated neck and two smaller heads rising out of the shoulders. Each head has a carved face and each of the three faces is oval in shape with small holes for eyes, a larger hole for a mouth, and a long narrow nose beginning at the crown of the forehead. Down the single-body's torso are four notches in succession. The figure's single set of arms are at its sides, but gradually flare away from the body. Legs are apart; fiber cord is around left ankle.
Condition: Good
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is on view in Special Exhibitions, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor
CAPTION
Lega. Three-Headed Figure (Sakimatwemtwe), 19th century. Wood, fiber, kaolin, 5 1/2 x 2 x 1 1/8 in. (14 x 5.1 x 2.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.486. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 22.486_SL1_edited_version.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 22.486_SL1_edited_version.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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