Cabinet W: Shelf 2
Selections from the Helmut Stern Collection
The objects displayed in this case form part of the collection of Helmut Stern, a dedicated and discerning collector of African art whose focus is on objects from what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. This vast country is home to numerous ethnic groups, both large and small. In pre-colonial times, some of these groups were organized into centralized states, such as the Kongo and Kuba kingdoms, and many of the objects here are insignia of royal or ritual power, or both. The vessels, for example, would have been used by chiefs and traditional religious practitioners alike to hold palm wine, while the finely carved adze decorated with brass tacks represents one of the most important emblems of power among Hemba peoples. The disquieting “power objects,” which are known by a variety of local names among the Kongo and related peoples, were used as receptacles for spirit forces, which they attracted and enlivened through powerful substances incorporated into the object itself; they were handled and used by ritual specialists to heal and protect a person or to seek justice for crimes. The Stern collection has been described by the Congolese art historian Niangi Batulukisi as a very rich one, with works of high quality that “bear witness to the grandeur of the civilizations that produced them.”
Wongo
Palm Wine Cup
wood and natural fibers
10 7/16 in x 4 3/4 in x 2 in (26.5 cm x 12 cm x 5 cm)
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
Yoruba
Animal Figure
bronze
11 1/16 in x 4 1/8 in x 5 7/8 in (28.1 cm x 10.48 cm x 14.92 cm)
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
Bété; Dan
Mask
wood
11 13/16 in x 6 3/4 in x 5 1/2 in (30 cm x 17.2 cm x 14 cm)
Gift of Prof. and Mrs. Horace M. Miner
Luba
Power Figure
wood
9 5/8 in x 2 11/16 in x 2 1/2 in (24.45 cm x 6.83 cm x 6.35 cm)
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
Akan
Ewe Standing Female Figure
wood
12 1/2 in x 4 in x 5 in (31.75 cm x 10.16 cm x 12.7 cm)
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
African
Divination Tray
wood
13 in x 12 3/16 in x 1 1/8 in (33 cm x 30.9 cm x 2.8 cm)
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
Luba
Power Figure
wood, wicker, metal, antelope horns, fur, cord, seeds, and nuts
11 13/16 in x 6 3/4 in x 4 13/16 in (30 cm x 17.15 cm x 12.22 cm)
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
Southwestern Songye (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Calabash (kileu)
bird claws, feathers and wings, metal, gourd, snakeskin, split cane, dried seeds, and wood
5 ⅞ in x 7 ½ in x 7 ½ in (14.92 cm x 19.05 cm x 19.05 cm);5 ⅞ in x 7 ½ in x 7 ½ in (14.92 cm x 19.05 cm x 19.05 cm)
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
Bamana
Door Lock
wood, iron
13 in x 10 9/16 in x 2 15/16 in (33 cm x 26.9 cm x 7.5 cm)
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
Bwende
Power Figure
wood, shells and metal
15 in x 4 ¼ in x 5 ½ in (38.1 cm x 10.8 cm x 13.97 cm);13 ¼ in x 4 ⅛ in x 5 in (33.66 cm x 10.48 cm x 12.7 cm);1 ¾ in x 4 ¼ in x 5 ½ in (4.45 cm x 10.8 cm x 13.97 cm)
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
Yaka
Figure
wood
13 3/4 in x 2 13/16 in x 3 1/8 in (34.9 cm x 7.2 cm x 7.9 cm)
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
Wongo
Cup
wood
5 1/4 in x 3 7/16 in x 5 13/16 in (13.3 cm x 8.8 cm x 14.8 cm)
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern