Collection Online as of May 30, 2023

Pair of Figures

late 1800s–early 1900s

Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo or Central African Republic (most likely), possibly Monzombo-style maker

Wood and iron

Part 1: 145 x 31.8 x 23.2 cm (57 1/16 x 12 1/2 x 9 1/8 in.); Part 2: 145 x 26.8 x 23.3 cm (57 1/16 x 10 9/16 x 9 3/16 in.)

René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 2010.460

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

This male and female pair is said to represent the culture's primordial couple.

Description

The Ubangi region's history of successive migrations and assimilations has resulted in numerous exchanges of religious beliefs and ritual practices. Despite some stylistic traits, including the heart-shaped faces and the male's crested coiffure, this figure with its female pair is unlike any other in the Ubangian corpus. Based on indirect evidence, the pair is said to represent the culture's primordial couple.

Provenance

?-1914

French missionary, before 1914, collected from Ubangi region.

?-1961

(Unidentified art dealer, Nice, France, 1961, sold to Paul Elsas)

1961-1962

Paul Elsas [1896-1981], Saint-Paul de Vence, FR, 1962, sold to René and Odette Delenne

1962-2010

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

Citations

Grootaers, Jan-Lodewijk, ed. Ubangi. Art et cultures au Coeur de l'Afrique, fig. I.4. Exh. Cat. Brussels: Fonds Mercator, in association with Afrika Museum, October 13, 2007-March 31, 2008. Reproduced: p. 18; mentioned: p. 20, fig. 1.4

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, 27, 88, 92-93. Mentioned: pp. 27, 88-89, 114; reproduced: pp. 92-93, cat. 31

Exhibition history

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).