Ancestor Figure

between late 19th and early 20th century

Hemba, African

On View

African, Level 1, North Wing

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About the Artwork

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Markings

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Provenance

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Exhibition History

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisonné

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Credit Line for Reproduction

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About the Artwork

The Hemba created a type of sculpture (called singitl) that was made to honor important departed ancestors. These figures are idealized portraits of specific individuals and were housed in special shrines where they were worshiped and fed offerings so that the living could tap the strong supernatural powers of the dead. The style is very distinctive, the heads having an almost egglike shape with curved eyebrows and aquiline features, giving the figures an aloof expression.

Title Ancestor Figure

Artwork Date between late 19th and early 20th century

Artist ----------

Life Dates ----------

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. African

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Hemba

Medium Wood

Dimensions Overall: 30 3/8 × 8 × 8 5/8 inches (77.2 × 20.3 × 21.9 cm) Including base: 33 1/8 × 8 7/8 × 9 3/8 inches (84.1 × 22.5 × 23.8 cm)

Classification Sculpture

Department African Art

Credit Gift of Mr. And Mrs. Andre Nasser

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 1986.54

Markings

Inscriptions ------

Provenance

Mr. And Mrs. Andre Nasser (New York, New York, USA)

1986-present, gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance and its important function in the museum, please visit:

Provenance page

Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

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Published References

African Masterworks In The Detroit Institute of Arts. Washington and London: The Detroit Institute of Arts and Smithsonian Institution Press, 1995, cat. no. 68.

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Hemba, African, Ancestor Figure, between late 19th and early 20th century, wood. Detroit Institute of Arts, Gift of Mr. And Mrs. Andre Nasser, 1986.54.