Many cultures around the world use art to cope with life’s mysteries and misfortunes. Some objects serve as agents of change or as abodes for spirits. Properly constructed and addressed or worshipped, such works of art may prompt the spirit to act. In most world religions, sculptures made for temples, shrines, and churches are intended as focal points for devotion. Their iconography makes them accessible to a wide range of followers, and their role is to mediate between human and divine realms.
The ability of a work of art to solicit spiritual aid is not restricted to formal world religions but is also observed in local contexts through objects of personal assistance and devotion. Throughout Africa figures are made to heal and protect individuals and their families. The Japanese ema and Mexican retablo also help believers to transcend obstacles such as illness, bereavement, or other problems, and their detailed iconography often indicates the intervention sought or provided.
Object Name: Bottle
Artist: Unknown
Cultural Group: Yaka peoples
Place of Origin: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Date: 19th century
Dimensions: H: 8.50 cm, W: 6.00 cm, D: 6.00 cm
Materials Used: Wood, beads, string
Credit Line and Accession Number: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Museum purchase. X64.118a,b
Figure
Songye peoples
Democratic Republic of the Congo
19th century
Wood, metal, reptile skin, hide
H: 16.50 cm, W: 4.40 cm, D: 7.00 cm (H: 6.5 in, W: 1.7 in, D: 2.8 in)
Gift of the Wellcome Trust. X65.7493
Not Currently On View in Intersections
Female with child
Yombe peoples
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Late 19th century
Wood and glass
H: 40.0 cm, W: 11.4 cm, D: 11.0 cm (H: 15.7 in, W: 4.5 in, D: 4.3 in)
Gift of the Wellcome Trust. X65.7497
Object Name: Seated male figure
Artist: Unknown
Culture: Yombe peoples
Place of Origin: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Date/Era: Late 19th century
Medium/Materials: Wood and glass
Dimensions: H: 30.5 cm, W: 9.5 cm, D: 12.0 cm (H: 12.0 in, W: 3.7 in, D: 4.7 in)
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of the Wellcome Trust.
Accession Number: X65.7498
Power figure (nkisi)
Yombe peoples
Democratic Republic of the Congo
18th-19th century
Wood, mirror, resin, glass, cane, fiber, seedpod, jawbone
H: 25.5 cm, W: 12.5 cm, D: 13.0 cm (H: 10.0 in, W: 4.9 in, D: 5.1 in)
Gift of the Wellcome Trust. X65.8501
Object Name: Power figure (nkisi)
Artist: Unknown
Culture: Yombe peoples
Place of Origin: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Date/Era: 18th-19th century
Medium/Materials: Wood, camwood, pigment, mirror, fiber, metal, chain
Dimensions: H: 26.5 cm, W: 22.0 cm, D: 17.0 cm (H: 10.4 in, W: 8.6 in, D: 6.7 in)
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of the Wellcome Trust.
Accession Number: X67.879
Retablo
Mexico
Late 19th century
Tin and paint
L: 26.5 cm, H: 36.0 cm (L: 10.4 in, H: 14.2 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Mr. Leonard J. Field. X74.1212
Retablo
Mexico
Early 20th century
Tin and paint
L: 23.0 cm, H: 28.0 cm (L: 9.1 in, H: 11.0 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Mr. Leonard J. Field. X74.1215
Yogini figure
Central India, Madhya Pradesh or Uttar Pradesh
Circa 1000 C.E.
Sandstone
H: 89.0 cm, W: 47.3 cm, D: 28.0 cm (H: 35 in, W: 18.6 in, D: 11.0 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lenart. X74.1433
Object Name: Priest’s staff (tunggal panaluan)
Artist: Unknown
Culture: Batak peoples
Place of Origin: Sumatra, Indonesia
Date/Era: 19th to early 20th century
Medium/Materials: Wood, feathers, cotton cloth, hair
Dimensions: H: 180 cm
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Miguel Covarrubias Collection.
Accession Number: X74.L360
Buddha figure
Sagaing, Burma
17th century
Gilded lacquer and wood
Total Height: 123.0 cm, H: 106.0 cm, W: 66.5 cm, D: 36.0 cm (Total: 48.4 in, H: 41.7 in, W: 26.2 in, D: 14.2 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Mr. Louis Resnik. X75.58a-c
Female figure with child (mbulenga)
Lulua peoples
Democratic Republic of the Congo
19th century
Wood, pins, camwood
H: 16.5 cm, D: 3.2 cm (H: 6.5 in, D: 1.3 in)
Gift of Lee and Dona Bronson. X78.1719
Object Name: Santo figure (Virgin of the Rosary)
Artist: Unknown
Place of Origin: Guatemala
Date/Era: Early 20th century
Dimensions: Total Height: 65.0 cm, H: 55.0 cm, W: 22.3 cm, D: 17.2 cm (Total Height: 25.9 in, H: 21.6 in, W: 8.7 in)
Medium/Materials: Wood, paint, metal
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Mr. James H. Kindel, Jr.
Accession Number: X80.202ab
Figure
Songye peoples
Democratic Republic of the Congo
19th century
Wood, pigment, cowrie shells, vegetable fiber, nails, metal, horn
Total Height: 91.0 cm, H: 70.0 cm, W: 17.0 cm, D: 20.0 cm (Total: 35.8 in, H: 27.6 in, W: 6.7 in, D: 7.9 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lionel Bell. X80.875a,b
Santo, San Jacinto
Philippines
19th century
Wood and paint
H: 129.0 cm, W: 45.0 cm, D: 33.0 cm (H: 50.8 in, W: 17.7 in, D: 12.9 in)
Gift of Mrs. Elizabeth Lloyd Davis. X82.1541
Object Name: Figure (pindi)
Artist: Unknown
Culture: Mbala peoples
Place of Origin: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Date/Era: 19th to early 20th century
Medium/Materials: Wood and camwood powder
Dimensions: H: 30.5 cm, W: 13.1 cm, D: 11.3 cm (H: 12.0 in, W: 5.2 in, D: 4.5 in)
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Jerome L. Joss.
Accession Number: X85.974
Figure
Yaka peoples
Democratic Republic of the Congo
19th century
Wood
W: 5.8 cm, H: 29.8 cm, D: 7.1 cm (W: 2.3 in, H: 11.7 in, D: 2.8 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Anonymous gift. X86.1947
Figure
Songye peoples
Democratic Republic of the Congo
19th century
Wood, copper, antelope horn
H: 31.5 cm, W: 7.5 cm, D: 8.0 cm (H: 12.4 in, W: 2.9 in, D: 3.1 in)
The Jerome L. Joss Collection. X87.1440
Female figure
Bembe peoples
Democratic Republic of the Congo
19th century
Wood and shell
H: 15.3 cm, W: 6.0 cm, D: 6.5 cm (H: 6.0 in, W: 2.4 in, D: 2.6 in)
The Jerome L. Joss Collection. X87.1465
Female figure
Bembe peoples
Democratic Republic of the Congo
19th century
Wood and mother-of-pearl
H: 16.0 cm, W: 6.0 cm, D: 4.3 cm (H: 6.3 in, W: 2.4 in, D: 1.7 in)
The Jerome L. Joss Collection. X87.1467
Male figure (nkisi)
Yombe peoples
Democratic Republic of the Congo
19th century
Wood, seeds, glass
H: 23.0 cm, W: 9.0 cm, D: 7.1 cm (H: 9.1 in, W: 3.5 in, D: 2.8 in)
The Jerome L. Joss Collection. X87.1477
Votive plaque (ema)
Tokyo, Japan
Late 19th-early 20th century
Wood and paint
H: 15.5 cm, W: 25.4 cm, D: 1.8 cm (H: 6.1 in, W: 10 in, D: .71 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Dr. Daniel C. Holtom. X89.821
Votive plaque (ema)
Japan
Late 19th-early 20th century
Wood and paint
H: 23.6 cm, W: 33.4 cm, D: 1.2 cm (H: 9.3 in, W: 13.1 in, D: .47 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Dr. Daniel C. Holtom. X89.846
Votive plaque (ema)
Japan
1917
Wood and paint
H: 22.7 cm, W: 30.0 cm, D: 1.0 cm (H: 8.9 in, W: 11.8 in, D: .39 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Dr. Daniel C. Holtom. X89.847
Votive plaque (ema)
Japan
Late 19th-early 20th century
Wood and paint
H: 17.6 cm, W: 21.8 cm, D: 2.0 cm (H: 6.9 in, W: 8.6 in, D: .79 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Dr. Daniel C. Holtom. X89.859
Votive plaque (ema)
Japan
1895
Wood and paint
H: 24.6 cm, W: 31.6 cm, D: 2.0 cm (H: 9.7 in, W: 12.4 in, D: .79 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Dr. Daniel C. Holtom. X89.863
Votive plaque (ema)
Japan
1935
Wood and paint
H: 23.0 cm, W: 29.4 cm, D: 1.2 cm (H: 9.1 in, W: 11.6 in, D: .47 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Dr. Daniel C. Holtom. X89.864
Votive plaque (ema)
Japan
Early 20th century
Wood and paint
H: 32.5 cm, W: 47.6 cm, D: 2.0 cm (H: 12.8 in, W: 18.7 in, D: .79 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Dr. Daniel C. Holtom. X89.872
Retablo
Mexico
Late 19th-early 20th century
Tin and paint
H: 35.0 cm, W: 24.5 cm (H: 13.8 in, W: 9.6 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Donald B. and Dorothy M. Cordry. X90.593
Retablo
Mexico
Late 19th-early 20th century
Tin and paint
H: 36.0 cm, W: 25.5 cm (H: 14.2 in, W: 10.0 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Lenore Hoag Mulryan. X91.4615
Retablo
Mexico
Late 19th-early 20th century
Tin and paint
H: 35.5 cm, W: 25.0 cm (H: 13.9 in, W: 9.8 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Lenore Hoag Mulryan. X91.4631
Object Name: Retablo for Saint Jerome (San Jerónimo)
Artist: Unknown
Place of Origin: Mexico
Date/Era: Late 19th to early 20th century
Dimensions: H: 36.4 cm, W: 27.0 cm, D: 2.0 cm (H: 14.3 in, W: 10.6 in, D: .79 in)
Medium/Materials: Metal, paint, glass
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Lenore Hoag Mulryan.
Accession Number: X96.42.13