The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
Female Figure
late 1800s-early 1900s
Overall: 34.8 x 6.2 x 14.5 cm (13 11/16 x 2 7/16 x 5 11/16 in.)
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
Because this Mankishi is neither small or quite large in size, it was most likely used by a family rather than an individual.Description
Mankishi figures were believed to have magical powers and were used by diviners to contact spirits in otherworldly realms. Smaller, personal power figures were used to connect with “common” ancestors, while the larger Mankishi figures contacted higher-ranking ancestral spirits. These power figures were kept in their own personal spaces because of their powerful status, and could only be handled by their designated nkunja, or guardian.- ?-1960(Jean Dierickx, Brussels, BE, 1960, sold to René and Odette Delenne)1960-2010René [1901-1998] and Odette Delenne [1925-2012], Brussels, BE, 2010, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art2010–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Petridis, Constantine. "René and Odette Delenne." In Tribal Art XV-4, no. 61 (Autumn 2011): 123. p. 123Petridis, Constantine, et al. Fragments of the Invisible: The René and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art. Milan: 5 Continents Editions, 2013, 23, 68-75. Mentioned: pp. 23, 114: reproduced:pp. 76-77, cat. 25Neyt, Francois. Songye: The Formidable Statuary of Central Africa. Munich/Berlin/London/New York: Prestel Verlag, 2009, 262. Reproduced: p. 262, no. 230; mentioned: 392, no. 230
- Fragments of the Invisible: The Rene and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 27, 2013-February 9, 2014).
- {{cite web|title=Female Figure|url=false|author=|year=late 1800s-early 1900s|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2010.452