id:			168762
accession number:	2010.460.1
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/2010.460.1
updated:		2023-08-24 00:44:58.254000

Figure of a Pair, late 1800s–early 1900s. Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo or Central African Republic (most likely), possibly Monzombo-style maker. Wood and iron; overall: 145 x 31.8 x 23.2 cm (57 1/16 x 12 1/2 x 9 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 2010.460.1

title:				Figure of a Pair
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:	Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo or Central African Republic (most likely), possibly Monzombo-style maker
technique:	Wood and iron
department:	African Art
collection:	African Art
type:		Sculpture
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Overall: 145 x 31.8 x 23.2 cm (57 1/16 x 12 1/2 x 9 1/8 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, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 27, 2013-February 9, 2014).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

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PROVENANCE

	French missionary, before 1914, collected from Ubangi region
	date: ?-1914
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	(Unidentified art dealer, Nice, FR, 1961, sold to Paul Elsas)
	date: ?-1961
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	Paul Elsas [1896-1981], Saint-Paul de Vence, FR, 1962, sold to René and Odette Delenne
	date: 1961-1962
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	René [1901-1998] and Odette Delenne [1925-2012], Brussels, BE, 2010, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
	date: 1962-2010
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


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


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fun fact:
This pair is of a male and female and is said to represent the culture's primordial couple. There are no other carved mother-child figures that originate from the Monzombo ethnic group.

digital description:
The Ubangi region's history of successive migrations and assimilations has resulted in numerous exchanges of religious beliefs and ritual practices. Despite some stylistic traits, including the heart-shaped faces and the male's crested coiffure, this figure with its female pair is unlike any other in the Ubangian corpus. Based on indirect evidence, the pair is said to represent the culture's primordial couple.

wall description:
The Ubangi region's history of successive migrations and assimilations has resulted in numerous exchanges of religious beliefs and ritual practices. Because little research has been conducted in the region, data regarding the production, use, and meaning of Ubangi sculpture are scant. Despite some stylistic traits, including the heart-shaped faces and the male's crested coiffure, this figure pair is unlike any other in the Ubangian corpus. Based on indirect evidence, the pair has been attributed to the little-known Monzombo and is said to represent the culture's primordial couple. However, no other sculptures have been ascribed to the Monzombo, and we lack further details on their art.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	Grootaers, Jan-Lodewijk, ed. <em>Ubangi. Art et cultures au Coeur de l'Afrique</em>, fig. I.4. Exh. Cat. Brussels: Fonds Mercator, in association with Afrika Museum, October 13, 2007-March 31, 2008.
	page number: 	p. 18
	url:		

	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, 27, 88, 92-93.
	page number: 	p. 27, 88-89
	url:		

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2010.460.1/2010.460.1_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2010.460.1/2010.460.1_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2010.460.1/2010.460.1_full.tif