The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
Male Figurine or Finial
early 1800s-early 1900s
(most likely)
Overall: 9.7 x 3.8 x 3.3 cm (3 13/16 x 1 1/2 x 1 5/16 in.)
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
The stomach cavity was once filled with medicinal substances; once removed, the nkisi figure is considered “decommissioned.”Description
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.- ?-1972(René De Wolf, Brussels, BE, before 1972, sold to René and Odette Delenne)1972-2010René [1901-1998] and Odette Delenne [1925-2012], Brussels, BE, 2010, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art.2010The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH 2010
- 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, 50. Reproduced: p. 50; mentioned: p. 113, cat. 11
- 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=Male Figurine or Finial|url=false|author=|year=early 1800s-early 1900s|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2010.436