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https://piction.clevelandart.org/cma/ump.di?e=8AEAD08177FA966F37607C20092EBBF296B57B2DD0371085E483A67B0267A604&s=24247294&se=1128270358&v=0&f=%5C2010.459det02_o2.jpg

Additional Views

May 11, 2011

May 9, 2011

May 11, 2011

Pair of Figures

late 1800s-early 1900s

Part of a set. See all set records

Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, probably Ngbandi-style carver

Wood, iron alloy, copper alloy, glass beads, plant fiber, and cloth

Part 1: 45 x 15.5 x 9.2 cm (17 11/16 x 6 1/8 x 3 5/8 in.); Part 2: 41 x 13 x 11.5 cm (16 1/8 x 5 1/8 x 4 1/2 in.)

René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 2010.459

Location

108A Sub-Saharan

Did you know?

Odette Delenne, the collector of this pair, once stated that these figures reminded her of herself and her husband, René.

Description

Carving of paired figures is quite well documented among the Ngbandi and its neighbors the Ngbaka-Minagende, where such sculptures are said to represent the mythical ancestor Seto and his sister-wife, Nabo. Field-based research cannot confirm the existence of figurative couples among the Ngbandi.

Provenance

?–1959

Jef and René Vanderstraete, Lasne, BE, sold to René and Odette Delenne

1959–2010

René [1901-1998] and Odette Delenne [1925-2012], Brussels, BE, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art

2010–

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Citations

Leuzinger, Elsy. Die Kunst von Schwarz-Afrika, 331. Exh. Cat. Recklinghausen: Verlag Aurel Bongers, in association with Kunsthaus Zürich, October 31, 1970-February 10, 1971. Reproduced: p. 331, cat. x27

Bastin, Marie-Louise, et al. Utotombo. L'Art d'Afrique noire dans les collections privées belges: Société des Expositions du Palais des Beaux-Arts, Bruxelles, 25 mars-5 juin 1988, 248, 309. Exh. Cat. Brussels: Société des Expositions du Palais des Beaux-Arts, March 25-June 5, 1988. Reproduced: p. 248; mentioned: p. 309, cat. 257-258

Grootaers, Jan-Lodewijk, ed. Ubangi. Art et cultures au Coeur de l'Afrique, 154-155. Exh. Cat. Brussels: Fonds Mercator, in association with Afrika Museum, October 13, 2007-March 31, 2008. Reproduced: 154-155, fig. 4.17

Petridis, Constantine. "René and Odette Delenne." In Tribal Art XV-4, no. 61 (Autumn 2011): 120. Reproduced: p. 120, fig. 5

Franklin, David. "Recent acquisitions (2005-11) at the Cleveland Museum of Art." In The Burlington Magazine 154, no. 1312 (July 2012): 525. Reproduced: p. 525, fig. I www.jstor.org

Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 53 no. 05, September/October 2013 Mentioned and reproduced: p. 10-11 archive.org

Petridis, 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, 26, 89, 94-95. Mentioned: pp. 12, 26, 89-91, 108, 114 ; reproduced: pp. 33, 94-95, cat. 32

Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 38

Bangerter, Walter, and Elsy Leuzinger. Afrikanische Kunstwerke: Kulturen am Niger, 335. Exh. Cat. Recklinghausen: Verlag Aurel Bongers, in association with Villa Hügel, March 25-June 13, 1971. Reproduced: p. 335, cat. no. X 27

Heymer, Kay, and Siegfried Gohr. Afrikanische Skulptur: Die Erfindung der Figur, 200. Exh. Cat. Cologne: Museum Ludwig, July 7-September 30, 1990. Reproduced: p. 200, fig. 95

Exhibition history

Kunsthaus Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland (October 31, 1970 - February 10, 1971)

Société des Expositions du Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, BE (March 25-June 5, 1988)

Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany (July 7-September 30, 1990)

Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague, Netherlands (November-January 1991)

Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles, Paris, FR, June 2000

Afrikanische Kunstwerke: Kulturen am Niger. Villa Hügel (March 25-June 13, 1971).

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 this page

{{cite web|title=Pair of Figures|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/2010.459|year=late 1800s-early 1900s|access-date=01 December 2023|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

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Pair of Figures

Pair of Figures

Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, probably Ngbandi-style carver

Location

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