Some statues – this one, for example – had the charges in their stomach and back removed by European collectors, but not those from the skull. That is because the skull charges on Kongo nkisi generally look like a little hat or Turkish turban. This suits the character well, and does not harm the sculptural balance.

Other items in this display case demonstrate how the removal of the skull charge has not always been a successful procedure: for example, an unfinished skull is left exposed.