id:			168754
accession number:	2010.456
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/2010.456
updated:		2020-11-04 22:08:53.010000

Pendant, late 1800s-early 1900s. Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Luba people. Ivory; overall: 8.6 x 2.3 x 4.5 cm (3 3/8 x 7/8 x 1 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 2010.456

title:				Pendant
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			late 1800s-early 1900s
creation date earliest:		1880
creation date latest:		1920
current location:		
creditline:			René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
copyright:			

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culture:	Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Luba people
technique:	Ivory
department:	African Art
collection:	African Art
type:		Jewelry
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Overall: 8.6 x 2.3 x 4.5 cm (3 3/8 x 7/8 x 1 3/4 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		Fragments of the Invisible: The Rene and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture
	opening date:   2013-10-27T00:00:00
	<i>Fragments of the Invisible: The Rene and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (October 27, 2013-February 9, 2014).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

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PROVENANCE

	(Marcel Dumoulin, Brussels, BE, 1965, sold to René and Odette Delenne)
	date: ?-1965
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	René [1901-1998] and Odette Delenne [1925-2012], Brussels, BE, 2010, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
	date: 1965-2010
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, 2010
	date: 2010
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


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fun fact: 
The caramel-colored patina of the ivory indicates the frequent usage of the pendant.

digital description: 
Luba pendants made in ivory or bone were originally suspended on a cord and worn diagonally across the chest of a high-ranking member of society. Often accompanied by amulets, beads, or small antelope horns, they represented ancestral spirits and served as portals to ancestral wisdom and beneficence. Many of these diminutive figurines hold their hands to their breasts as a sign of the secrets and wisdom they contain.

wall description: 
The most intimate and personal of all Luba objects, pendants made in ivory or bone were originally suspended on a cord or bandolier and typically worn diagonally across the chest of a high-ranking member of society. Often accompanied by amulets, beads, or small antelope horns, they represented ancestral spirits and served as portals to ancestral wisdom and beneficence. The pendants paid tribute to the ancestors and were regularly anointed with oils and worn against the body over many years, which resulted in the erosion of details and a smooth, lustrous surface. Many of these diminutive figures hold their hands to their breasts as a sign of the secrets and wisdom they contain.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	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. 84, cat. 28
	url:		

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2010.456/2010.456_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2010.456/2010.456_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2010.456/2010.456_full.tif