Female Figure

Cleveland Museum of Art

Female Figure

Date
late 1800s-early 1900s
Medium
Wood, upholstery studs, antelope horns, and animal hair
Culture
Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Songye people
Department
African Art
Institution
Cleveland Museum of Art
Object ID
168748

From the Cleveland Museum of Art record

Mankishi figures were believed to have magical powers and were used by diviners to contact spirits in otherworldly realms. Smaller, personal power figures were used to connect with “common” ancestors, while the larger Mankishi figures contacted higher-ranking ancestral spirits. These power figures were kept in their own personal spaces because of their powerful status, and could only be handled by their designated nkunja , or guardian. Because this Mankishi is neither small or quite large in size, it was most likely used by a family rather than an individual.

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line
René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Provenance
?-1960: (Jean Dierickx, Brussels, BE, 1960, sold to René and Odette Delenne) | 1960-2010: René [1901-1998] and Odette Delenne [1925-2012], Brussels, BE, 2010, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art | 2010–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

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