Figure (iginga) (probably 1800s): Art, History and Details

Figure (iginga) (probably 1800s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

The life of Lega men and women is structured around their advancement through the different grades of the Bwami association. Fulfilling political, social, religious, and other roles, the members’ ultimate purpose is the pursuit of wisdom and excellence. Ivory figurines were reserved for members of the two highest Bwami grades, in which the core of the Lega’s moral philosophy is revealed.

Object facts

• Title: Figure (iginga)
• Date: probably 1800s
• Culture: Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lega-style maker
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: Elephant ivory, tukula, and oil
• Dimensions: Overall: 16.7 x 5.5 x 4.5 cm (6 9/16 x 2 3/16 x 1 3/4 in.)
• Collection: African Art
• Department: African Art
• Accession number: 2005.3

A detail from the museum

The dark surface (patina) of this sculpture comes from years of handling and the application of oil and a red powder called tukula; it was originally cream-colored!

Collection credit

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Rachewiltz, Boris de. Arte Africana. [Rome]: [Istituto Grafico Tiberino], 1967.
• Debbaut, Jan, Dominique Favart, and G. van Geertruyen. Utotombo: l'art d'Afrique noire dans les collections privées belges : Société des Expositions du Palais des Beaux-Arts, Bruxelles, 25 mars-5 juin 1988. Bruxelles: Palais des beaux-arts, 1988.
• Cornet, Joseph, Angelo Turconi, and Mobutu Sese Seko. Zaire: peuples/art/culture. Anvers: Fonds Mercator, 1989.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.