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Female Figurine
late 1800s-early 1900s
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
This female figurine may be a fragment of a spoon or spatula, but is not confirmed. Iconography of the human image is common in the art of Kongo-speaking peoples, however, this object’s function or purpose is unknown. The position of the arms has been interpreted as that of a bound prisoner while the positioning of the head represents a broken neck or severed head, thus identifying as a sacrificial victim.
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Details
- Title: Female Figurine
- Date Created: late 1800s-early 1900s
- Physical Dimensions: Overall: 12 x 2.5 x 4.5 cm (4 3/4 x 1 x 1 3/4 in.)
- Provenance: (René De Wolf, Brussels, BE, before 1972, sold to René and Odette Delenne), René [1901-1998] and Odette Delenne [1925-2012], Brussels, BE, 2010, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, 2010
- Type: Sculpture
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/2010.449
- Medium: Ivory
- Fun Fact: This object is believed to be a portion of a spoon or a spatula. The position of the prisoner is believed to be a sacrificial victim.
- Department: African Art
- Culture: Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (most likely), Cabinda, or Republic of the Congo, probably Yombe people
- Credit Line: René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
- Collection: African Art
- Accession Number: 2010.449
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