CC0 · no rights reserved
Crucifix
From the collection of National Museum of African Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Fifteenth-century missionaries and Portuguese emissaries aware of the scepters and staffs used as emblems of power among Kongo rulers introduced crucifixes into this local custom. Kongo artists continued creating images of Christ, which tend to have African features, even after the missionaries departed in the mid-18th century. The cross in Kongo cosmology represents the meeting of this world and the spirit world, which may account for the continued use of the crucifix.
National Museum of African Art’s own descriptionSubjects
Credit lineCrucifix. 17th century. Kongo artist. National Museum of African Art, Gift of Walt Disney World Co., a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. CC0.
