ClassificationsAfrican Art
Janus-Figure, Kabeja
Place CreatedDemocratic Republic of the Congo, Africa
CultureHemba
Datelate 19th-mid 20th Century
MediumWood, fiber
Credit LineEx coll. William S. Arnett
Dimensions11 7/16 x 3 15/16 x 5 1/8 in. (29 x 10 x 13 cm)
Object number1994.004.015
Label TextHemba janus figures, or kabeja, consisting of a man and woman back to back may have been used in ancestor worship or fertility rituals, for protection, and as a symbol of power and prestige. The representation of the joined man and woman embodies the spiritual power of the founding ancestral couple and may depict them having relations with the spirits, which results in the birth of a monster. A receptacle for magical substance is placed in the cup at the top of the joint coiffure.Exhibition HistoryMCCM Permanent Collection Installation, Rotation 3, September 26, 1998 - Spring 2003
Divine Intervention: African Art and Religion, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 5 - December 4, 2011
ProvenanceEx coll. William S. Arnett (1939-2020), Atlanta, Georgia.
Status
Not on viewCollections
- African Art
late 19th-mid 20th Century
late 19th-early 20th Century
19th-20th Century
19th-20th Century
late 19th-early 20th Century
late 1st-early 2nd Century CE
20th Century
1920s-1940s
late 19th Century
