H x W x D: 19 x 5.5 x 6 cm (7 1/2 x 2 3/16 x 2 3/8 in.)
Type:
Sculpture
Geography:
Mayombe region, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Date:
19th century
Label Text:
Originally the finial for a wooden staff, this animal-headed figure (perhaps canine) may represent a ritual leader's search for hidden knowledge. In Kongo belief, the dog symbolizes a hunter of spiritual forces. The fingers poised over the stomach are assumed by a ritual leader when questioning individuals about wrongdoing or a problem. The bared teeth confront evil. The inlaid eyes refer to the ability to see into the spirit world, while the cowrie shell necklace symbolizes the power to cross between this world and the next. All these powers are, however, balanced by the kneeling posture, a gesture of humility and respect.
Description:
Ivory, golden coloured, kneeling figure with hands clasped in front on the stomach and carved cowrie shells around the neck.
Provenance:
Nadya Levy, Belgium
Henri Kamer, Paris
Paul and Ruth Tishman, New York, by 1968 to 1984
Walt Disney Company, 1984-2005
Exhibition History:
Visionary: Viewpoints on Africa's Arts, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 4, 2017-ongoing (deinstalled October 4, 2021)
Kongo: Power and Majesty, Metropolitan Museum of Art, September 18, 2015–January 3, 2016
The Walt Disney-Tishman African Art Collection Highlights, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., May 21, 2009-June 4, 2014
African Vision: The Walt Disney-Tishman African Art Collection, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., February 15, 2007-March 31, 2009
Pavilion des Sessions at the Palais du Louvre, Musée du quai Branly, Paris, June 25-September 26, 2006
For Spirits and Kings: African Art from the Paul and Ruth Tishman Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1981
Sculpture of Black Africa: The Paul Tishman Collection, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, October 16, 1968-January 5, 1969; The High Museum of Art, Atlanta; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, August 31-November 1, 1970; University of Texas College of Fine Arts, Austin; City Art Museum, St. Louis, August 20-October 17, 1971; Des Moines Art Center; Huntington Galleries, Huntington, WV
Published References:
Cornet, Joseph. 1995. "Staff handle." Africa: The Art of a Continent, ed. by Tom Phillips. Munich: Prestel; London: Royal Academy of London, p. 243, no. 4.5b.
Felix, Marc Leo (ed). 2010. White Gold, Black Hands: Ivory Sculpture in Congo, Vol 1. Qiquhar, Heilungkiang, The People's Republic of China: Gemini Sun, pp. 86, 177, nos. 28b, 226.
Felix, Marc Leo (ed). 2011. White Gold, Black Hands: Ivory Sculpture in Congo, Vol 2. Qiquhar, Heilungkiang, The People's Republic of China: Gemini Sun, pp. 184, 313, no. 904 a,b.
Kreamer, Christine Mullen, Bryna Freyer and Andrea Nicolls. 2007. African Vision: The Walt Disney-Tishman African Art Collection. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, pp. 19, 220-221, no. 79.
Lagamma, Alisa and Blackmore, Josiah. 2015. Kongo: Power and Majesty. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Patton, Sharon F. and Bryna Freyer. 2008. Treasures 2008. Washington D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, pp. 114-115.
Phillips, Tom (ed). 1995. Africa: The Art of a Continent. Munich: Prestel; London: Royal Academy of London, p. 243, no. 4.5b.
Robbins, Warren M. and Nancy Ingram Nooter. 1989. African Art in American Collections. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, p. 365, no. 951.
Ross, Doran (ed). 1992. Elephant: The Animal and Its Ivory in African Culture. Los Angeles: Fowler Museum of Cultural History, University of California, p. 227, no. C.
Sieber, Roy and Arnold Rubin. 1968. Sculpture of Black Africa: The Paul Tishman Collection. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, no. 132.
Vogel, Susan (ed). 1981. For Spirits and Kings: African Art from the Paul and Ruth Tishman Collection. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, p. 212, no. 126.
Content Statement:
As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
Image Requests:
High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
