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Male Figurine or Finial

early 1800s-early 1900s

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

This figurine or finial may have contained a medicine-filled package on its abdomen. The man seated with his legs crossed and wearing a coiffure of Portuguese inspiration may represent a chief, which was once attached to a scepter or perhaps a flywhisk. Beneath the chief, a child holds onto his back; though such imagery is more typically seen with female sculptures.

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Details

  • Title: Male Figurine or Finial
  • Date Created: early 1800s-early 1900s
  • Physical Dimensions: Overall: 9.7 x 3.8 x 3.3 cm (3 13/16 x 1 1/2 x 1 5/16 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/2010.436
  • Medium: Wood
  • Fun Fact: The stomach cavity was once filled with medicinal substances; once removed, the <em>nkisi </em>figure is considered “decommissioned.”
  • 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: 2010.436

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