Brooklyn Museum: Collections: African Art

Ndop Portrait of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul. Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kuba artist, circa 1700. Wood, 19 1/2 x 7 5/8 x 8 5/8 in. (49.5 x 19.4 x 21.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alastair B. Martin, Mrs. Donald M. Oenslager, Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Blum, and the Mrs. Florence Blum Fund, 61.33

Since at least the eighteenth century, every Kuba king has been commemorated with a carved wooden portrait called an ndop. These figures validate the king's claim to dynastic succession and are considered his "spirit double," the material counterpart to his soul. The king is always portrayed in the prime of life with no physical imperfections, since it was believed that the king's health and well-being reflected the state of the nation. He is represented wearing the flat headdress and ritual knife that were symbols of his office. Two additional features identify the particular reign: a distinctive geometric motif around the base and an emblem placed in front of the king. Recent scholarship has re-identified this figure as Mishe miShyaang maMbul, who reigned in the early years of the eighteenth century. It is currently considered the earliest of all the surviving ndop figures.

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