Cleveland Museum of Art

Female Figurine

Date

late 1800s–early 1900s

Medium

Ivory

Culture

Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo (most likely), Cabinda, or Republic of the Congo, probably Yombe-style maker

Department

African Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This female figurine may be a fragment of a spoon or spatula, but is not confirmed. Iconography of the human image is common in the art of Kongo-speaking peoples, however, this object’s function or purpose is unknown. The position of the arms has been interpreted as that of a bound prisoner while the positioning of the head represents a broken neck or severed head, thus identifying as a sacrificial victim. This object is believed to be a portion of a spoon or a spatula. The position of the prisoner is believed to be a sacrificial victim.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.