Collection Online as of April 1, 2023
late 1800s-early 1900s
Part of a set. See all set records
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
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 (organizer) (October 27, 2013-February 9, 2014).
