The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 10, 2024

Janus Figure

Janus Figure

late 1800s-early 1900s
Wood
Overall: 30.8 x 7.9 x 7.3 cm (12 1/8 x 3 1/8 x 2 7/8 in.)
René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 2010.458
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

The opposite faces refer to a dualistic philosophy, a threshold between past and future.

Description

This Janus figure features opposing faces and symbolizes change and transformation. A cavity in the top of the head served to hold ingredients with magical and medicinal qualities. The figure played a pivotal role in cults dedicated to the ancestors; in exchange for prayers, libations, and offerings, the ancestors were asked to safeguard the well-being and fertility of the population.
  • ?-1967
    (Marcel Dumoulin, Brussels, BE, 1967, sold to René and Odette Delenne)
    1967-2010
    René [1901-1998] and Odette Delenne [1925-2012], Brussels, BE, 2010, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2010
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, 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, 86-87. Reproduced: pp. 86-87; mentioned: p. 114, cat. 30
  • 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).
    Exposition Universelle. Internationale de Bruxelles, Belgium (October-April 1958)
  • {{cite web|title=Janus Figure|url=false|author=|year=late 1800s-early 1900s|access-date=10 May 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2010.458