Flywhisk (late 1800s-early 1900s): Art, History and Details

Flywhisk (late 1800s-early 1900s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

In Central Africa, flywhisks denoted status, rank, and function, rather than used to whisk away flies. Commonly associated with chiefs and titleholders, they were also owned by diviners and healers. Their purpose may also have been used to purify spaces, bless people, places, or things, and settle disputes. Flywhisks rarely depict women; yet this finely carved miniature of a woman kneeling signifies obedience and respect.

Object facts

• Title: Flywhisk
• Date: late 1800s-early 1900s
• Culture: Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo (most likely), Cabinda, or Republic of the Congo, probably Yombe-style maker
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: Wood and animal hair
• Dimensions: Overall: 30 x 16 x 18 cm (11 13/16 x 6 5/16 x 7 1/16 in.)
• Collection: African Art
• Department: African Art
• Accession number: 2010.435

A detail from the museum

Rarely do flywhisks depict a female figure.

Collection credit

René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Petridis, Constantine, et al. Fragments of the Invisible: The René and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art. Milan: 5 Continents Editions, 2013, 62.

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.