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Head

A dark-brown painted sculpture with hints of orange showing through of a slim face with a long neck. The lips are drawn in a pout, the cheeks sunken, the hair pulled back in a swirl pattern and falling down in a slim column.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A dark-brown painted sculpture with hints of orange showing through of a slim face with a long neck. The lips are drawn in a pout, the cheeks sunken, the hair pulled back in a swirl pattern and falling down in a slim column.

Date:

Mid–late 19th century

Artist:

Fang
Gabon
Central Africa

About this artwork

The neck of this head was once partially inserted into the lid of a cylindrical bark container holding selected skull and skeletal remains of an honored ancestor. Stored in the corner of a man’s sleeping room, the sculpture and box protected the ancestor’s bones and kept his power within reach of his descendants. The copper-alloy inserts in the eyes reflect light in the dark, and would have startled any intruder while adding to the head’s aura.

Status

On View, Gallery 137

Department

Arts of Africa

Culture

Fang

Title

Head

Place

Gabon (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1850–1899

Medium

Wood and copper

Dimensions

H.: 39.4 cm (15 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Frederick W. Renshaw Acquisition Fund; Robert Allerton and Ada Turnbull Hertle endowments; Robert Allerton Income Fund; Gladys N. Anderson Endowment

Reference Number

2006.127

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/187528/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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