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Figure from a Reliquary Ensemble: Seated Male Holding Vessel

19th - early 20th century (before 1914)

Not on view

This Fang reliquary element was a visual focal point of "Statuary in Wood," prominently positioned on a pedestal. After the work’s removal from Africa at an undetermined date, its history was marked by a succession of transatlantic travels, illustrating the nature of the African-art market since the beginning of the twentieth century. In 1915, following its display at 291, it was acquired in Paris by one of the most prominent African-art collectors of his time, Frank Burty Haviland. Following Haviland’s death in 1971, it disappeared into an American private collection until it resurfaced in the late 1980s and returned to France. It is exhibited here for the first time since 1914.

Figure from a Reliquary Ensemble: Seated Male Holding Vessel, Wood, brass or copper, Fang peoples — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Figure from a Reliquary Ensemble: Seated Male Holding Vessel, Wood, brass or copper, Fang peoples

Figure from a Reliquary Ensemble: Seated Male Holding Vessel, Wood, brass or copper, Fang peoples

Figure from a Reliquary Ensemble: Seated Male Holding Vessel, Wood, brass or copper, Fang peoples

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: Figure from a Reliquary Ensemble: Seated Male Holding Vessel

Date: 19th - early 20th century (before 1914)

Geography: Gabon

Culture: Fang peoples

Medium: Wood, brass or copper

Dimensions: H. x W.: 20 1/16 x 22 13/16 in. (51 x 58 cm)

Classification: Wood-Sculpture

Credit Line: Collection Pierre Amrouche

Object Number: Armory-1914-06

The Met

The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing at The Met

The Met's collection of art of the peoples of sub-Saharan Africa, the Pacific Islands, and North, Central, and South America comprises more than eleven thousand works of art of varied materials and types, representing diverse cultural traditions from as early as 3000 B.C.E. to the present.