Art History Essay #2: Museum Visit to the Dallas Museum of Art

The African collection at the Dallas Museum of Art includes a Janus reliquary guardian figure, or Mbulu Ngulu, from the late 19th or early 20th century.  This figure is from Gabon, in west central Africa, and is attributed to Semangoy of Zokolumga.  Carved from wood, it also incorporates brass, copper, iron, and fiber, and is approximately two feet in height.  The figure has two faces, on front and in the back, hence the use of the term “Janus” in reference to the Roman god who is typically displayed featuring two faces. One face is concave, and the other is concave but features an overhanging forehead.  The features are strikingly abstract.  Over the head a moon-shaped headdress is displayed, featuring an intricate pattern in the center that appears to have been beat into the metal.  The face of the figure is an oval shape, and behind the strangely stylized eyes, nose, and mouth, which are placed centrally in the oval shape, a cross pattern is formed by two bands of metal.  This image is identical on each side of the figure.  Placed behind and to either side of the face is a large half moon metal shape which may serve to indicate ears - this is particularly suggested by the small vertical metal pieces protruding below, which are possibly earrings.  The neck and shoulders are signified by a thick pointed diamond shape upon which the head rests. 

The Kota people of this region of Africa used reliquary guardian figures such as this one to preserve relics of their dead.  They believed that the powers of deceased ancestors survived after death and could be accessed in this way to ensure well being, fertility, and prosperity in this life.  Although the particular artist’s intentions cannot be understood, particularly as his identity can only be guessed at, this figure was most likely used to stand guard over a family member’s relics.  Kota reliquary guardian figures are known for being some of the most abstract depictions of the human form in African art.  They notably influenced Picasso in his 1907 cubist masterpiece, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. 

My first reaction to this figure was astonishment at the abstract style and stylized form.  It could be a contemporary sculpture.  I thought the two-faced composition was particularly striking.  In terms of whether or not I consider the work to be successful in the context of its originally intended use, I think it fulfills that purpose admirably.  What better image to have guarding one’s ancestors than one with two faces, to watch for danger from any direction.