Crucifix
Artist/Maker
Kongo people
(Democratic Republic of the Congo) Date16th century
Mediumwood and copper alloy
DimensionsOverall: 20 3/8 x 9 1/2 x 1 1/8 in. (51.8 x 24.1 x 2.9 cm)
ClassificationsVisual Works
Credit LineGift of The May Department Stores Company
Object number68.002.006
DescriptionPortuguese landed at the mouth of the Congo River in 1482. By 1490, Christian missionaries had converted the royal family. The Christian image of the crucifix was congenial to the Kongo people who regarded it as similar to their own powerful religious concept of the four moments of the sun – birth, life, death, and renewal – shown in the form of a four armed cross. It also reminded them of the sign of the crossroads, a place of great portent for most Africans.
