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Source Description
Hungaan figures of this size served as guardians of ritual shrines and functioned in rituals to promote fertility, guarantee well-being, and ensure longevity. The striking crested hairstyle imitates a real coiffure or a wig, indicative of status and prestige. The hands supporting the chin identify the figure as a chief who is immersed in thought and contemplation, pondering over his responsibilities.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
162875
label
Male Figure
core
obj
dtoType
sculpture
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
162875
contentType
sculpture
title
Male Figure
description
Hungaan figures of this size served as guardians of ritual shrines and functioned in rituals to promote fertility, guarantee well-being, and ensure longevity. The striking crested hairstyle imitates a real coiffure or a wig, indicative of status and prestige. The hands supporting the chin identify the figure as a chief who is immersed in thought and contemplation, pondering over his responsibilities.
date
mid- to late 1800s
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60779114
genreSpecific
Sculpture
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 68 cm (26 3/4 in.)
cul
Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Hungaan-style maker
accession
2003.36
Source extras
tec
Wood and colorant
tombstone
Male Figure, mid- to late 1800s. Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Hungaan-style maker. Wood and colorant; overall: 68 cm (26 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund, 2003.36
collection
African Art
didYouKnow
The red powdery surface of this figure mimics a red body adornment that mixed ground camwood with palm oil.
citations
citation
Utotombo: l'art d'Afrique noire dans les collections privées belges, exh. cat., Palais des Beaux-Arts. Brussels: Société des Expositions, 1988, cat. 171.
citation
Cornet, Joseph-Aurélien. Zaïre: peuples/art/culture. Antwerp: Fonds Mercator, 1989, 384.
citation
Petridis, Constantine. "A New Installation for African Art in Cleveland." Tribal v.9 no. 3, i. 36 (Autumn/Winter 2004): 68-73
citation
Petridis, Constantijn. <em>South of the Sahara: selected works of African art. </em>Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2003.
page_number
Reproduced: cat. 38, p. 106 - 107
creditline
Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:28:09.238000
sourceId
162875
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
Wood and colorant
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
afcc8aaea375b562