Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
One of a pair, this female figure is adorned with metal, bead, and shell ornaments at the ears, waist, and ankles. Each figure has a series of vertically aligned bumps on the forehead. These represent highly raised keloid scars that were culturally meaningful forms of body modification. Carving of paired figures is well documented among the Ngbandi and their 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.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
168759
label
Female Figure of a Pair
core
obj
dtoType
sculpture
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
168759
contentType
sculpture
title
Female Figure of a Pair
description
One of a pair, this female figure is adorned with metal, bead, and shell ornaments at the ears, waist, and ankles. Each figure has a series of vertically aligned bumps on the forehead. These represent highly raised keloid scars that were culturally meaningful forms of body modification. Carving of paired figures is well documented among the Ngbandi and their 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.
date
late 1800s–early 1900s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60746827
genreSpecific
Sculpture
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 41 x 13 x 11.5 cm (16 1/8 x 5 1/8 x 4 1/2 in.)
cul
Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, probably Ngbandi-style carver
accession
2010.459.2
Source extras
tec
Wood, iron alloy, glass beads, plant fiber, and cloth
tombstone
Female Figure of a Pair, late 1800s–early 1900s. Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, probably Ngbandi-style carver. Wood, iron alloy, glass beads, plant fiber, and cloth; overall: 41 x 13 x 11.5 cm (16 1/8 x 5 1/8 x 4 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 2010.459.2
collection
African Art
didYouKnow
Few examples of Ngbandi sculpture exist, and even fewer retain their adornments.
citations
citation
Leuzinger, Elsy. <em>Afrikanische Kunstwerke: Kulturen am Niger</em>, exh. cat. (March 25-June 13, 1971), Villa Hügel, Essen, Belgium. Recklinghausen: Verlag Aurel Bongers, 1971 [p. 335, cat. X27]
citation
"Recent acquisitions (2005-11) at the Cleveland Museum of Art." The Burlington Magazine 1312:154 (July 2012): 525-32. Fig I, pg 525.
citation
Leuzinger, Elsy. <em>Die Kunst von Schwarz-Afrika</em>, 331. Exh. Cat. Recklinghausen: Verlag Aurel Bongers, in association with Kunsthaus Zürich, October 31, 1970-February 10, 1971.
page_number
p. 331
citation
Bastin, Marie-Louise, et al. <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>, 248, 309. Exh. Cat. Brussels: Société des Expositions du Palais des Beaux-Arts, March 25-June 5, 1988.
page_number
p. 248
citation
Grootaers, Jan-Lodewijk, ed. <em>Ubangi. Art et cultures au Coeur de l'Afrique</em>, 154-155. Exh. Cat. Brussels: Fonds Mercator, in association with Afrika Museum, October 13, 2007-March 31, 2008.
page_number
pp. 154-155
citation
Petridis, Constantine. "René and Odette Delenne." In <em>Tribal Art</em> XV-4, no. 61 (Autumn 2011): pp. 118-124.
page_number
p. 120
citation
Franklin, David. "Recent acquisitions (2005-11) at the Cleveland Museum of Art." In <em>The</em> <em>Burlington Magazine</em> 154, no. 1312 (July 2012): 525-532.
page_number
p. 525
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, 26, 89, 94-95.
page_number
pp. 12, 26, 89-91
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: P. 38
citation
Bangerter, Walter, and Elsy Leuzinger. <em>Afrikanische Kunstwerke: Kulturen am Niger</em>, 335. Exh. Cat. Recklinghausen: Verlag Aurel Bongers, in association with Villa Hügel, March 25-June 13, 1971.
page_number
p. 335
citation
Heymer, Kay, and Siegfried Gohr. <em>Afrikanische Skulptur: Die Erfindung der Figur</em>, 200. Exh. Cat. Cologne: Museum Ludwig, July 7-September 30, 1990.
page_number
p. 200
creditline
René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:40:56.672000
sourceId
168759
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
Wood, iron alloy, glass beads, plant fiber, and cloth
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
9059bbc55e3e5f27