The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of June 4, 2023

Male Figure of a Pair

late 1800s-early 1900s

Part of a set. See all set records

Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, probably Ngbandi-style carver

Wood, iron alloy, copper alloy, and cloth

Overall: 45 x 15.5 x 9.2 cm (17 11/16 x 6 1/8 x 3 5/8 in.)

René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 2010.459.1

Location

108A Sub-Saharan

Fun Fact

Odette Delenne, the collector of this pair, once stated that these figures reminded her of herself and her husband, René.

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
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
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
Petridis, Constantine. "René and Odette Delenne." In Tribal Art XV-4, no. 61 (Autumn 2011): pp. 118-124. Reproduced: p. 120
Franklin, David. "Recent acquisitions (2005-11) at the Cleveland Museum of Art." In The Burlington Magazine 154, no. 1312 (July 2012): pp. 525-532. p. 525
Petridis, Constantine, et al. Fragments of the Invisible: The René and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art. Milan: 5 Continents, 2013, 26, 89, 94-95. Mentioned: pp. 12, 26, 89-91
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
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
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, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 27, 2013-February 9, 2014).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2010.459.1