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Male Figure
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This exceptionally large Teke figure is well preserved and holds a medicine package partly buried in an abdominal cavity. Its size suggests that it stood at the service of a larger group of people and that its powers extended beyond the limits of a village. Its scarification marks and beard identify it as representing a chief or another dignitary.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineMale Figure, late 1800s-early 1900s. Africa, Central Africa, Republic of the Congo (most likely) or Democratic Republic of the Congo, Teke-style maker. Wood, resin, iron, copper, plant fiber, cloth, glass beads, coins, antelope horns, and cowrie shells; overall: 97.1 cm (38 1/4 in.); without base: 91.5 x 16 x 16.3 cm (36 x 6 5/16 x 6 7/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 2010.430
