Reliquary Figure (Bieri)

Place CreatedGabon, Africa

CultureFang, Betsi or Nzaman

Datelate 19th-early 20th Century

MediumWood, oil

Credit LineGift of Lewis M. Dubroff

Dimensions55.9 cm (22 in.)

Object number2025.015.001

Label TextByeri reliquary figures are guardian figures that stand atop cylindrical bark boxes (nsuk byeri) filled with powerful medicine and the skulls of ancestors. Thus, they are not powerful in and of themselves, but indicate that something powerful lay beneath. The figures, however, were of great interest to western collectors and readily sold by the Fang, who considered the relics to be the most important part. This, in addition to colonial laws imposed during the twentieth century that outlawed byeri practices, meant that byeri tradition was virtually extinct by the middle of the century. Byeri figures are known for their animated quality. They are not naturalistic, but they are dynamic; the face is often carved with a relaxed expression, while the arms and legs are active and engaged, bent as though the figure is about to leap into action. The figure is further animated by the reflective surface that vibrantly responds to light. The goal of the Byeri cult was to connect living and deceased so the Fang kept the guardian figures and relics happy and nourished with the application of camwood oil, giving the figure a reddish sheen.
Exhibition HistoryThe African Image, The Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio, February 1-22, 1959
Africa Explores: 20th Century African Art, The Center for African Art, New York, New York, May 16-December 31, 1999
Divine Intervention: African Art and Religion, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 5 - December 4, 2011
MCCM Permanent Collection Installation, March 29, 2013 - December 1, 2014
MCCM Permanent Collection Installation, August 6, 2016 - March 20, 2018
MCCM Permanent Collection Gallery, February 24, 2026 - June 9, 2026
MCCM Permanent Collecrtion Galleries, July 5, 2026 - Present
Published ReferencesThe African Image: A New Selection of Tribal Art (Toledo: The Toledo Museum of Art, 1959), 22, number 112.
Susan Vogel, et al., Africa Explores: 20th Century African Art (New York: The Center for African Art, 1991), 264, cat. 131.
MCCM Newsletter, Spring/Summer 2011.

ProvenanceEx coll. Chaim (1902-1991) and Renee (1909-2005) Gross, New York, New York, acquired from Jack Passer, New York, before 1958. Ex coll. Lewis Dubroff, United States, purchased from Sotheby's New York, May 15, 2009, lot 43.

Status

On view

Collections