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Source Description
Iron tacks inserted into the lobes of the hairdo indicate that this sculpture was originally empowered with magical and medicinal substances. Thus charged, the figure would have been used in divination and was related to a powerful association known as Bugabo. Members specialized in healing, hunting, and fighting crime.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
168755
label
Half-Figure
core
obj
dtoType
sculpture
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
168755
contentType
sculpture
title
Half-Figure
description
Iron tacks inserted into the lobes of the hairdo indicate that this sculpture was originally empowered with magical and medicinal substances. Thus charged, the figure would have been used in divination and was related to a powerful association known as Bugabo. Members specialized in healing, hunting, and fighting crime.
date
late 1800s–early 1900s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80075137
genreSpecific
Sculpture
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 20 x 6.8 x 8.5 cm (7 7/8 x 2 11/16 x 3 3/8 in.)
cul
Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, probably Kusu-style maker
accession
2010.457
Source extras
tec
Wood and iron
tombstone
Half-Figure, late 1800s–early 1900s. Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, probably Kusu-style maker. Wood and iron; overall: 20 x 6.8 x 8.5 cm (7 7/8 x 2 11/16 x 3 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 2010.457
collection
African Art
didYouKnow
This figure would have been used in a powerful association known as Bugabo, specializing in healing, hunting, and fighting crime.
citations
citation
Debbaut, Jan, Dominique Favart, G. van Geertruyen, and Palais des beaux-arts (Brussels, Belgium). 1988. <em>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</em> Ed. française ed. Bruxelles: Palais des beaux-arts, p. 239, cat. 235.
citation
Petridis, Constantine, et al. <em>Fragments of the Invisible: The René and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture.</em> Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art. Milan: 5 Continents Editions, 2013, 84.
page_number
Mentioned: pp. 81, 114; reproduced: p. 85, cat. 29
creditline
René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:40:53.496000
sourceId
168755
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
Wood and iron
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
f5070657a9a36214