Description
This sculpture played a role in ancestral worship among the Beembe people. Ancestors are held in high regard among the Beembe, and this figure is thought to represent an idealized form of a deceased individual within the ethnic group. The object is one of only two seated male Beembe figures of this size in Western institutions.
Provenance
(Merton Simpson [1928-2013], New York, NY, 1966, sold to René and Odette Delenne) (?–1966); René [1901-1998] and Odette Delenne [1925-2012], Brussels, BE, 2010, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art (1966–2010); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (2010–)
Accession Number
2010.428
Medium
Wood, ceramic or Formica, copper alloy, and iron alloy
Dimensions
Overall: 47.5 x 14.8 x 16.3 cm (18 11/16 x 5 13/16 x 6 7/16 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Credit Line
René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund