Object Details
- Kongo artist
- Label Text
- In the region near Boma, Kongo peoples both benefited and suffered from European trade along the coast and river. There was a conspicuous consumption of wealth including those profiting from the slave trade. One of the manifestations of this wealth was the production of stone figures. Although these were reported in the 16th century, they flourished in the 19th century, and stopped being made in the 1920s. The figures varied in pose and gesture and featured some highly traditional forms such as seated chiefs, and figures with children, but also included such oddities as representations of imported sewing machines. Most were intended for display on graves. This figure retains its original painted surface. Harry A. McBride acquired it ca. 1914 when he was counsul in the Belgian Congo.
- Description
- Stone figure with smaller figure on knee sitting on blackened cylindrical base. Primary figure is curving to its proper left with one hand on the child, or smaller figure, and one on its own knee. The facial planes are relatively flat, with wide nose and black, almond-shaped eyes, open where it meets with the nose. White pigment applied to body and black pigment to hair, necklaces, and base.
- Provenance
- Mr. and Mrs. Harry A. McBride, Washington, D.C., acquired in the Belgian Congo, ca. 1914 to 1965
- Exhibition History
- Celebration: A World of Art and Ritual, Renwick Gallery, Washington D.C., March 17, 1982-July 10, 1983
- Life...Afterlife: African Funerary Sculpture, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 19, 1981-March 1, 1982
- African Sculpture, Princeton University Art Museum, February 2-March 14, 1971, no. 127
- Published References
- Museum of African Art. 1971. African Sculpture at Princeton University from the Museum of African Art. Washington, D.C.: Museum of African Art, p. 35, no. 127.
- Smithsonian Institution. Office of Folklife Programs and Renwick Gallery of the National Museum of American Art. 1982. Celebration: A World of Art and Ritual. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, p. 140, no. 186.
- 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 Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks.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/
- Credit Line
- Gift of Mrs. Harry A. McBride
- Late 19th-early 20th century
- Object number
- 65-1-1
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Figure
- Medium
- Steatite, pigment
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 29.1 x 16.3 x 13.6 cm (11 7/16 x 6 7/16 x 5 3/8 in.)
- Geography
- Boma area, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- See more items in
- National Museum of African Art Collection
- Object Name
- ntadi
- National Museum of African Art
- Topic
- Funerary
- Commemorative
- Status
- male
- Record ID
- nmafa_65-1-1
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys7a6268f7e-95a4-4e7f-99f3-15ffde7f2697
