Untitled (Central African Ngbaka bow-harp, Kuba cammwood powder container and Kongo clay vessel)
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Marjorie Griffiths—who, as staff photographer for the Harmon Foundation, documented the activities of Harlem Renaissance artists—was engaged by the foundation to create a set of twenty-six photographs of works from the Blondiau-Theatre Arts Collection. These images were meant to circulate along with a text by Alain Locke in exhibitions promoting African art to a larger audience.
In this balanced still life, Griffiths carefully arranged before a contrasting background the bow-harp, camwood-powder container, and ceramic also on view in the exhibition. Since the photograph was taken, both the bow-harp and the vessel have endured losses: the strings of white beads that once adorned the harp’s waist and ankles are now missing, while the neck and edges of the vessel have experienced significant breaks.
In this balanced still life, Griffiths carefully arranged before a contrasting background the bow-harp, camwood-powder container, and ceramic also on view in the exhibition. Since the photograph was taken, both the bow-harp and the vessel have endured losses: the strings of white beads that once adorned the harp’s waist and ankles are now missing, while the neck and edges of the vessel have experienced significant breaks.
Artwork Details
- Title: Untitled (Central African Ngbaka bow-harp, Kuba cammwood powder container and Kongo clay vessel)
- Artist: Marjorie Griffiths
- Date: ca. 1935
- Medium: Gelatin Silver Print
- Dimensions: H. x W.: 9 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. (24.13 x 19.05 cm)
Mounted (but not framed): 11 x 7 3/4 in. (27.94 x 19.69 cm) - Classification: Paper
- Credit Line: Alain Locke Papers/Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Howard University
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing