ClassificationsAfrican Art

Male Figure, Singiti

Place CreatedDemocratic Republic of the Congo, Africa

CultureHemba

Datelate 19th-mid 20th Century

MediumWood

Credit LineEx coll. William S. Arnett

Dimensions17 1/2 x 5 7/8 x 7 1/16 in. (44.5 x 15 x 17.9 cm)

Object number1994.004.010

Label TextHemba ancestral figures, or singiti, were kept in small thatched huts by lineage elders, who offered prayers to placate the spirits of the deceased and to engage their assistance for the living. Singiti were intended as idealized portraits. Through posture, accoutrements and insignia, the figure conveys the status and ethnic identity of the deceased individual and emphasizes the importance of family continuity and the perpetuation of the lineage. The figure wears a prestigious lobed coiffure which imitates an actual practice of building up the hair with oil, powder, and false hair upon a raffia support. The figure has acquired a dark surface as a result of handling and applications of river mud, animal blood, palm oil, and other offered substances.
Exhibition HistoryMCCM Permanent Collection Installation, Rotation 3, September 26, 1998 - Spring 2003

ProvenanceEx coll. William S. Arnett (1939-2020), Atlanta, Georgia.

Status

Not on view

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