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Oct 27, 2009

Shrine Figure (misi or mishi)

late 1800s-early 1900s

Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, pre-Bembe style or Boyo-style maker

Wood and cotton

Overall: 48.6 x 15.6 x 17.2 cm (19 1/8 x 6 1/8 x 6 3/4 in.)

Gift of Katherine C. White 1969.10

Location

not on view

Description

This figure was used in an ancestral cult dedicated to the founders of small political groupings. Such figures were usually kept in the same shrine with a number of stylistically related male and female carvings that represented ancestors. At times of crisis, the custodian of the shrine spent the night in close proximity to the images, bringing offerings to the ancestors in exchange for their support.

Provenance

1962

J. J. Klejman, NY

J. J. Klejman, NY (1962); Katherine White Reswick

Citations

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 412 archive.org

Petridis, Constantijn. South of the Sahara: selected works of African art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2003. Reproduced: cat. 32, p. 94 - 95

Petridis, Constantine. "A World of Great Art for Everyone." In Representing Africa in American Art Museums: A Century of Collecting and Display. Kathleen Bickford Berzock and Christa Clarke, 104-121. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2011. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 114, fig. 5.8

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. 36

Exhibition history

CMA 1968: "African Tribal Images: The Katherine White Reswick Collection," cat. no. 269, repr.

CMA 1970: "Year in Review 1969," CMA Bulletin LVII (Jan., 1970), p. 47, no. 131, repr. p. 40.

Circulated by International Exhibitions Foundation, 1/22/70 - 6/21/70: "African Heritage," cat. Fagg, no. 100, repr. p. 91. Traveled to Washington, Kansas City, Brooklyn).

Year in Review: 1969. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (January 27-February 22, 1970).

Cite this page

{{cite web|title=Shrine Figure (misi or mishi)|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/1969.10|year=late 1800s-early 1900s|access-date=03 July 2022|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

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Shrine Figure (misi or mishi)

Shrine Figure (misi or mishi)

Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, pre-Bembe style or Boyo-style maker

Location

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Description

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