Ancestor Figure: Male
Unknown Artist
18th–19th century
Medium
Wood, kaolin
Dimensions
H. 30 1/2 × W. 11 3/8 × D. 7 1/2 in. (77.5 × 28.9 × 19.1 cm)
Classification
Wood-Sculpture
Culture
Boyo peoples
Department
Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1964
Accession Number
1978.412.424
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking *Ancestor Figure: Male*, carved by an unknown artist of the Boyo peoples in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the 18th–19th century, stands as a powerful testament to ancestral veneration in Central African traditions. Crafted from wood and coated with kaolin—a white clay prized for its ritual purity—the measures about 30 inches tall, embodying a stylized male form with elongated proportions typical of Boyo artistry. The kaolin encrustation not only protects the wood but also symbolizes spiritual essence, enhancing the figure's sacred aura during ceremonies. For the Bo...