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Source Description
This sculpture played a role in ancestral worship among the Beembe people. Ancestors are held in high regard among the Beembe, and this figure is thought to represent an idealized form of a deceased individual within the ethnic group. The object is one of only two seated male Beembe figures of this size in Western institutions.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
168721
label
Male Figure
core
obj
dtoType
sculpture
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
168721
contentType
sculpture
title
Male Figure
description
This sculpture played a role in ancestral worship among the Beembe people. Ancestors are held in high regard among the Beembe, and this figure is thought to represent an idealized form of a deceased individual within the ethnic group. The object is one of only two seated male Beembe figures of this size in Western institutions.
date
late 1800s-early 1900s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60759411
genreSpecific
Sculpture
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 47.5 x 14.8 x 16.3 cm (18 11/16 x 5 13/16 x 6 7/16 in.)
cul
Africa, Central Africa, Republic of the Congo, Beembe-style maker
accession
2010.428
Source extras
tec
Wood, ceramic or Formica, copper alloy, and iron alloy
tombstone
Male Figure, late 1800s-early 1900s. Africa, Central Africa, Republic of the Congo, Beembe-style maker. Wood, ceramic or Formica, copper alloy, and iron alloy; overall: 47.5 x 14.8 x 16.3 cm (18 11/16 x 5 13/16 x 6 7/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 2010.428
collection
African Art
didYouKnow
This figure is considered “monumental” as most other types of Beembe figures measure about 15 centimeters tall.
citations
citation
Leuzinger, Elsy. <em>Die Kunst von Schwarz-Afrika</em>, 269. Exh. Cat. Recklinghausen: Verlag Aurel Bongers, in association with Kunsthaus Zürich, October 31, 1970-February 10, 1971.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 269, cat. S6
citation
Leuzinger, Elsy. <em>Afrikanische Kunstwerke: Kulturen am Niger</em>, 273. Exh. Cat. Recklinghausen: Verlag Aurel Bongers, in association with Villa Hügel, March 25-June 13, 1971.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 273, cat. no. S 6
citation
Wichmann, Siegfried, ed. <em>World Cultures and Modern Art</em>, 271. Exh. Cat. Munich: Verlag Bruckmann, in association with Haus der Kunst, June 16-September 30, 1972.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 271, no. 1782; reproduced: p. 271, no. 1782
citation
Wichmann, Siegfried, ed. <em>Weltkulturen und moderne Kunst</em>, 64. Exh. Cat. Munich: Verlag Bruckmann, in association with Haus der Kunst, June 16-September 30, 1972.
page_number
64, cat. 1782
citation
Söderberg, Bertil. "Les Figures d'ancêtres chez les Babembé," in Arts d'Afrique Noire, no. 13 (1975): 21-33; no. 14 (1975): 14-37.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 27
citation
Bastin, Marie-Louise, et al. <em>Utotombo. L'Art d'Afrique noire dans les collections privées belges</em>, 95. Exh. Cat. Brussels: Société des Expositions du Palais des Beaux-Arts, March 25-June 5, 1988.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 95, cat. XXVII; mentioned: p. 296
citation
Lehuard, Raoul. <em>Art Bakongo</em>. <em>Les Centres de style</em> 2. Arnouville, FR: Arts d'Afrique Noire, 1989, 379.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 379; reproduced: p. 381, fig. G 17-2-1
citation
Heymer, Kay, and Siegfried Gohr. <em>Afrikanische Skulptur: Die Erfindung der Figur</em>, 181. Exh. Cat. Cologne: Museum Ludwig, July 7-September 30, 1990.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 181, fig. 81
citation
Petridis, Constantine. "René and Odette Delenne." In <em>Tribal Art</em> XV-4, no. 61 (Autumn 2011): 118.
page_number
Reproduced p. 118, fig. 2
citation
Petridis, Constantine, et al. <em>Fragments of the Invisible</em>: <em>The René and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture.</em> Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art. Milan: 5 Continents Editions, 2013, 35, 105.
page_number
Reproduced and mentioned: pp. 18-19, 35, 105, 112, cat. 2
citation
"In Case You Missed It: Fragments of the Invisible." <em>The International Review of African American Art</em> 25, no. 1 (2014): 10-11.
page_number
Reproduced: p.11.
creditline
René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:40:16.751000
sourceId
168721
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
Wood, ceramic or Formica, copper alloy, and iron alloy
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
4361dc9a262d075f