ticketsMember | Make a donation

Ancestral Shrine Figure:Seated Female

19th–early 20th century
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
The attitudes of the female figures created for ancestral shrines reflect deeply on the cycle of life. A sense of loss defines this regal woman seated with her chin resting on her hands placed on her raised right knee. The powdery white surface of applied chalk on her ethereal nude body contrasts sharply with the bold black accents of facial features and headdress.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Ancestral Shrine Figure:Seated Female
  • Date: 19th–early 20th century
  • Geography: Democratic Republic of the Congo; Republic of the Congo; Angola, Cabinda
  • Culture: Kongo peoples; Yombe group
  • Medium: Wood, pigment
  • Dimensions: H. 20 1/2 in. (52.2 cm), W. 6 3/4 in. (17 cm), D. 6 3/4 in. (17.2 cm)
  • Classification: Wood-Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Museum Rietberg, Zürich; Gift of Eduard von der Heydt
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing