Male Figure (Singiti)

Mid 19th-early 20th century

Hemba
Kongolo region, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Central Africa

This idealized portrait commemorated and honored the lifetime accomplishments of a deceased male ancestor. With its serene expression, fine beard, high forehead, and elaborate cross-shaped hairstyle, the figure embodies the composure, status, and wisdom of a respected elder. As a spiritual mediator between the living and the dead, it was preserved with other such objects in a shrine where it linked the present ruler with his predecessor and underscored the legitimacy of his authority.

Status: On View, Gallery 137
Department: Arts of Africa

Culture: Hemba
Title: Male Figure (Singiti)
Place: Democratic Republic of the Congo (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.: 1850–1925
Medium: Wood and pigment
Dimensions: H.: 70.9 cm (27 7/8 in.)
Credit Line: Ada Turnbull Hertle Fund
Reference Number: 1972.453

Allen Wardwell, Two Luba Figures in Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago, vol. 67, no. 3, (May-June, 1973), pp. 14-17 (Ill.).
Recent Acquisitions, African Arts, vol. VI. no. 3 (Spring 1973), pg. 71.
François Neyt. 1977. La Grand Statuaire Hemba du Zaire, Louvain-la-Neuve, pp. 200-201.
Constantine Petridis et al., Speaking of Objects: African Art at the Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 2020), cat. no. 64, pp. 156-157 (ill.).

Chicago, Ill., Columbia College Art Gallery, “Spirits and Spouses, Gender Roles in African Art,” Feb. 12–Apr. 5, 1996, no cat.

Pierre Dartevelle, Brussels, Belgium, purchased the work in Befeka, Democratic Republic of the Congo, from 1969/1970 [personal communication with P. Dartevelle, 2001, documented in curatorial file]; sold to Pierre Langlois, Paris, by 1972 [as above]. John J. Klejman (died 1995), Klejman Gallery, New York, N.Y., by 1972 [acquisition documentation in curatorial file]; sold to the Art Institute, 1972.

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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.

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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.

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