Antique African Congo Nail Fetish Statue Nkisi Nkonde Provenance 35” Tall

Unbelievably rare find with provenance, this nail fetish statue from the Congo stands 35 inches high and is embedded with dozens of nails, metal and blade fragments. This powerful ritual figure came from the collection of Ferdinand Ponthier who was a long time antique dealer and collector on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles from the 1950s through 1970s. Upon his death, his entire collection was conserved by Shasta County and sat in the basement of the county building for years until the items were auctioned in 2014 which is when I acquired this piece.