The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of June 24, 2025

Male Figure
mid- to late 1800s
Overall: 68 cm (26 3/4 in.)
Location: 108A Sub-Saharan
Did You Know?
The red powdery surface of this figure mimics a red body adornment that mixed ground camwood with palm oil.Description
Hungaan figures of this size served as guardians of ritual shrines and functioned in rituals to promote fertility, guarantee well-being, and ensure longevity. The striking crested hairstyle imitates a real coiffure or a wig, indicative of status and prestige. The hands supporting the chin identify the figure as a chief who is immersed in thought and contemplation, pondering over his responsibilities.- by 1925colonial official in the Belgian CongoPierre Loos, Brussels, Belgiumearly 1980s–2003(Mr. and Mrs. Willem Vranken, Brussels, Belgium, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)2003–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Utotombo: l'art d'Afrique noire dans les collections privées belges, exh. cat., Palais des Beaux-Arts. Brussels: Société des Expositions, 1988, cat. 171.Cornet, Joseph-Aurélien. Zaïre: peuples/art/culture. Antwerp: Fonds Mercator, 1989, 384.Petridis, Constantine. "A New Installation for African Art in Cleveland." Tribal v.9 no. 3, i. 36 (Autumn/Winter 2004): 68-73Petridis, Constantijn. South of the Sahara: selected works of African art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2003. Reproduced: cat. 38, p. 106 - 107
- {{cite web|title=Male Figure|url=false|author=|year=mid- to late 1800s|access-date=24 June 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2003.36