The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 20, 2024

Figurine

Figurine

late 1800s–early 1900s
Wood, feathers, organic material (including resin), iron, and possibly porcelain
Overall: 29.5 x 12 x 16 cm (11 5/8 x 4 3/4 x 6 5/16 in.)
René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 2010.440
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

This niksi figurine shows how the mixture of earth, resin, leaves, glass, and other items was fixed. It had been the property of “the sorcerer of Mboukou.”

Description

This figure had lost its nkisi load on the belly, but now shows how the mixture of earth, resin, leaves, glass, and other items was fixed onto the wooden figure, supported by four nails. It had been the property of “the sorcerer of Mboukou.”
  • ?-1961
    (Unidentified art dealer, Nice, FR, 1961, sold to René and Odette Delenne)
    1961-2010
    René [1901-1998] and Odette Delenne [1925-2012], Brussels, BE, 2010, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2010
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, 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, 23, 54-58. Mentioned: pp. 23, 54, 56, 113; reproduced: pp. 58-59, fig. 20
  • 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=Figurine|url=false|author=|year=late 1800s–early 1900s|access-date=20 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2010.440