The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 16, 2024

Corpus (Crucified Christ)

Corpus (Crucified Christ)

late 1800s-early 1900s
Copper alloy
Overall: 16.5 x 12.5 x 2.5 cm (6 1/2 x 4 15/16 x 1 in.)
René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 2010.445
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

This figure combines Kongo artists’ attention to symmetry with the Western depiction of Christ, lifeless on the cross.

Description

One of two Christian-inspired objects in the Delenne collection identifying the far-reaching networks of trade, diplomacy, religion, and cross-cultural exchange. Kongo Christian symbols were created as spiritual tools to help explain and alleviate the turbulent situation between Central African religion and Catholicism. This figurine is geometric in style, combining both Christian ideals and preexisting Kongo artistic practices. Its pierced hands and feet link him to crucifixion images.
  • ?-1945
    Charles Ralet, Brussels, BE, 1945, sold to Jef and René Vanderstraete
    1945-1959
    Jef and René Vanderstraete, Lasne, BE, 1959, sold to René and Odette Delenne
    1959-2010
    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, 2010
  • de Borchgrave d'Alténa, J. "Christs de l'ancien Congo." L'Artisan et les Arts Liturgiques [special issue on Art chrétien du Congo] 18, vol 4 (1949): 376. Reproduced: p. 376, fig. 1
    Petridis, Constantine, et al. Fragments of the Invisible: The René and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art. Milan: 5 Continents Editions, 2013, 40-41, 54-58, 108. Reproduced: p. 42; mentioned: pp. 40, 108 112, cat. 5
  • Fragments of the Invisible: The Rene and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 27, 2013-February 9, 2014).
    Leuven, Belgium
    Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium.
    Musées royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, Brussels, Belgium (1945-1949)
  • {{cite web|title=Corpus (Crucified Christ)|url=false|author=|year=late 1800s-early 1900s|access-date=16 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2010.445