The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 13, 2025

Male Figure (Ofika)

late 1800s or early 1900s

Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mbole-style carver

Wood, colorant, and upholstery studs
42.2 cm (16 5/8 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2016.33
Location: 108A African

Did You Know?

The stripe painted down the figure's torso represents the cord used for execution.

Description

Figures such as this, known as ofika, were central to the initiation practices and the enforcement of laws among the all-male Lilwa association, a hierarchical organization that served educational, judicial, political, economic, and ritual functions among the Mbole. Meant to instill a moral code and to act as a cautionary symbol during initiation for Lilwa novices, ofika figures are believed to represent criminals who were ritually hanged for transgressions against Lilwa laws. The figure’s encrusted surface imitates how members covered their bodies with a substance made of ashes and palm oil during burial rites.
  • 1971
    Field-collected by Pierre Dartevelle
    1971–1995
    Phillipe Guimiot, Brussels, BE, sold to Atlantic Art Partners
    1995–2016
    Atlantic Art Partners I, LLC, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2016–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    Provenance Footnotes
    1 Sales invoice November 24, 1995, Curatorial Files
    2 Sales invoice November 24, 1995, Curatorial Files
    3 Sales invoice November 24, 1995, Curatorial Files
  • Petridis, Constantine. “Acquisition Highlights 2016: African Art.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 57, no. 2 (March/April 2017): 17. Reproduced: P. 17; Mentioned: P. 7, 17 archive.org
    Lemonedes, Heather. “Acquisition Highlights.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 58, no. 2 (March/April 2018): 6-7. Reproduced: P. 7 archive.org
    African Arts (Winter 1996, XXIX, 1). Back cover. Back cover
    Bastin et al, Utotombo. L'art d'Afrique noire dans les collections privées belges. Brussels: Société des expositions, 1998. Cat. 250, p. 244
  • African art rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 20, 2019-October 5, 2020).
    Recent Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 17-June 7, 2018).
    The Cleveland Museum of Art (03/17/2018-06/06/2018): "Recent Acquisitions 2014-2017"
    Utotombo, The Art of Black Africa in Belgian Private Collections, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, Belgium (03/25/1988-06/05/1988)
  • {{cite web|title=Male Figure (Ofika)|url=false|author=|year=late 1800s or early 1900s|access-date=13 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2016.33