Ceremonial Drum with Power Animal (Hippopotamus?) Supporting Figurative Superstructure

19th–early 20th century, inventoried 1912

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

This visually arresting creation based on the form of a distinctive royal drum from the kingdom of Loango was likely made for sale to a European client and never used. The focal point of the composition is a disembodied human face framed by a serpent. This surreal image hovers above a zoomorphic form at the base that may be a hippopotamus covered with spots that refer to spiritual might.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

Title: Ceremonial Drum with Power Animal (Hippopotamus?) Supporting Figurative Superstructure
Date: 19th–early 20th century, inventoried 1912
Geography: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Loango Coast; Republic of the Congo; Angola, Cabinda
Culture: Kongo peoples
Medium: Wood (Rinicodendron heudelotii Baill.), pigment, hide, mirror
Dimensions: H. 37 3/4 in. (96 cm), W. 5 1/2 in. (14 cm)
Classification: Wood-Musical Instruments
Credit Line: Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing