The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Pair of Figures

Pair of Figures

late 1800s-early 1900s
Wood, iron alloy, copper alloy, glass beads, plant fiber, and cloth
Part 1: 45 x 15.5 x 9.2 cm (17 11/16 x 6 1/8 x 3 5/8 in.); Part 2: 41 x 13 x 11.5 cm (16 1/8 x 5 1/8 x 4 1/2 in.)
René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 2010.459
Location: 108A Sub-Saharan

Did You Know?

Odette Delenne, the collector of this pair, once stated that these figures reminded her of herself and her husband, René.

Description

Carving of paired figures is quite well documented among the Ngbandi and its neighbors the Ngbaka-Minagende, where such sculptures are said to represent the mythical ancestor Seto and his sister-wife, Nabo. Field-based research cannot confirm the existence of figurative couples among the Ngbandi.
  • ?–1959
    Jef and René Vanderstraete, Lasne, BE, sold to René and Odette Delenne
    1959–2010
    René [1901-1998] and Odette Delenne [1925-2012], Brussels, BE, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2010–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Leuzinger, Elsy. Die Kunst von Schwarz-Afrika, 331. Exh. Cat. Recklinghausen: Verlag Aurel Bongers, in association with Kunsthaus Zürich, October 31, 1970-February 10, 1971. Reproduced: p. 331, cat. x27
    Bastin, Marie-Louise, et al. Utotombo. L'Art d'Afrique noire dans les collections privées belges: Société des Expositions du Palais des Beaux-Arts, Bruxelles, 25 mars-5 juin 1988, 248, 309. Exh. Cat. Brussels: Société des Expositions du Palais des Beaux-Arts, March 25-June 5, 1988. Reproduced: p. 248; mentioned: p. 309, cat. 257-258
    Grootaers, Jan-Lodewijk, ed. Ubangi. Art et cultures au Coeur de l'Afrique, 154-155. Exh. Cat. Brussels: Fonds Mercator, in association with Afrika Museum, October 13, 2007-March 31, 2008. Reproduced: 154-155, fig. 4.17
    Petridis, Constantine. "René and Odette Delenne." In Tribal Art XV-4, no. 61 (Autumn 2011): 120. Reproduced: p. 120, fig. 5
    Franklin, David. "Recent acquisitions (2005-11) at the Cleveland Museum of Art." In The Burlington Magazine 154, no. 1312 (July 2012): 525. Reproduced: p. 525, fig. I www.jstor.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 53 no. 05, September/October 2013 Mentioned and reproduced: p. 10-11 archive.org
    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, 26, 89, 94-95. Mentioned: pp. 12, 26, 89-91, 108, 114 ; reproduced: pp. 33, 94-95, cat. 32
    Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 38
    Bangerter, Walter, and Elsy Leuzinger. Afrikanische Kunstwerke: Kulturen am Niger, 335. Exh. Cat. Recklinghausen: Verlag Aurel Bongers, in association with Villa Hügel, March 25-June 13, 1971. Reproduced: p. 335, cat. no. X 27
    Heymer, Kay, and Siegfried Gohr. Afrikanische Skulptur: Die Erfindung der Figur, 200. Exh. Cat. Cologne: Museum Ludwig, July 7-September 30, 1990. Reproduced: p. 200, fig. 95
  • 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).
    Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles, Paris, FR, June 2000
    Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague, Netherlands (November-January 1991)
    Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany (July 7-September 30, 1990)
    Société des Expositions du Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, BE (March 25-June 5, 1988)
    Afrikanische Kunstwerke: Kulturen am Niger. Villa Hügel (March 25-June 13, 1971).
    Kunsthaus Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland (October 31, 1970 - February 10, 1971)
  • {{cite web|title=Pair of Figures|url=false|author=|year=late 1800s-early 1900s|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2010.459